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equineluvr ago

Mardi Gras is the N. American (French) Catholic equivalent of Carnival that is celebrated in Central and South America. As the name suggests, it is French ("Fat Tuesday"). The King Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition down there. (I should know, as I was born and raised in Louisiana.)


Wikipedia cites this history. It's from the website of a large bakery in the New Orleans area that ships king cakes all over the world.

"The Mardi Gras or Carnival season officially begins on January 6th or "King's Day" - also known to Christians as the Epiphany. Epiphany comes from a Greek word that means "to show." Bethlehem is where infant Jesus first showed himself to the world. As a symbol of this holy day, a tiny plastic baby is placed inside each King Cake."

Carnival historians say the something-in-the-cake tradition started here with a golden bean baked into a cake by the Twelfth Night Revelers on Jan. 6, 1870. The king cake was served to young women, and the one who got the bean was crowned queen. (They still do this, by the way.)

The whole tradition of king cakes came from France, and the king cake included a favor, or feve. Feve means "broad bean" or "charm." Early charms were a bean, painted or wrapped in foil, or a pecan. (Does a pecan represent the Baby Jesus?) Small bisque German-made dolls known as Frozen Charlottes were used as favors for a time and are highly collectible. The king cake doll pendant sold by jeweler Mignon Faget depicts one.

New Orleans and the South have other favor traditions that involve foreign objects in food and fortune-telling. Old-line jeweler Adler's sells sterling silver wedding cake favors or pulls to be attached to ribbons and put in or under the wedding cake. Before it's cut, the bride's girlfriends pull them out. The Adler's ones have, for example, a house on one side and "happy home" on the other. (One depicts a thimble and needle and says "old maid" on the reverse.)

http://www.mardigras.com/news/2015/01/what_does_the_king_cake_baby_r.html

neverobey ago

and please check this: http://www.carnaval.com/saturnalia/