Tabletop Tuesday - the Feast of Epiphany, king cakes and Mardi Gras traditions
I thought I would share a few photos from our Epiphany dinner last night. My eldest son is heading back to college soon and so I'm making all the family meal memories while I can before he returns. He goes to school at Tulane in New Orleans, which is fitting, because this post has a Mardi Gras thread running through it.
Epiphany, in my opinion, is an overlooked holiday that's part of the Christian calendar. Epiphany is when the Magi, often referred to as kings, arrived to meet Jesus. That's why people a few centuries ago would bake a king cake (galette des rois in French). The Americanized version of king cake is associated with the entire Mardi Gras season in New Orleans. That cake is a little different from this one. It's iced and is usually decorated with purple, green and yellow. But you can see how the tradition morphed and started here. Epiphany officially kicks off Mardi Gras season, which will continue until Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
For anyone who has ever had an American king cake, you know there is a baby figurine baked inside. One person finds the baby in their slice and is supposed to have good luck for the year and is also committed to buy next year's cake. I'm not sure that really happens and I don't believe in luck but it's still a charming tradition. The baby in the cake also springs from an early French tradition of baking a bean or a little porcelain figurine into the cake. It's called a "feve."
I bought a feve at a tag sale in New Orleans last year and baked it into the galette I made last night. The seller told me it came from Haydel's Bakery and when I did a little research, I found ours right there on the web site!
Isn't she lovely? It's always such fun choosing a slice. Everyone wants to get the "baby" or "feve."
Finally, I love collecting these old chalkware figurines from old nativity sets. I find singles at thrift stores, antique malls and tag sales. I'm not sure if any of these that I have are Magi, but it feels right and so I scatter them around the table. I always love to add "smalls" to a table, even just with my family. Salt cellars, little nut cups, figurines and tiny floral arrangements make a family dinner for four at home seem special.
Make family meals an occasion whenever you can. This is hardly new advice, I know, but sometimes you just need to hear things again. One day, your family will remember those rituals. It doesn't have to include handpainted porcelain and sterling silver. Do what works for your family and your style, but build those traditions in based on things that are special to you.
Happy Epiphany and Happy Mardi Gras season!
XoxoL
Epiphany, in my opinion, is an overlooked holiday that's part of the Christian calendar. Epiphany is when the Magi, often referred to as kings, arrived to meet Jesus. That's why people a few centuries ago would bake a king cake (galette des rois in French). The Americanized version of king cake is associated with the entire Mardi Gras season in New Orleans. That cake is a little different from this one. It's iced and is usually decorated with purple, green and yellow. But you can see how the tradition morphed and started here. Epiphany officially kicks off Mardi Gras season, which will continue until Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
For anyone who has ever had an American king cake, you know there is a baby figurine baked inside. One person finds the baby in their slice and is supposed to have good luck for the year and is also committed to buy next year's cake. I'm not sure that really happens and I don't believe in luck but it's still a charming tradition. The baby in the cake also springs from an early French tradition of baking a bean or a little porcelain figurine into the cake. It's called a "feve."
I bought a feve at a tag sale in New Orleans last year and baked it into the galette I made last night. The seller told me it came from Haydel's Bakery and when I did a little research, I found ours right there on the web site!
Finally, I love collecting these old chalkware figurines from old nativity sets. I find singles at thrift stores, antique malls and tag sales. I'm not sure if any of these that I have are Magi, but it feels right and so I scatter them around the table. I always love to add "smalls" to a table, even just with my family. Salt cellars, little nut cups, figurines and tiny floral arrangements make a family dinner for four at home seem special.
Make family meals an occasion whenever you can. This is hardly new advice, I know, but sometimes you just need to hear things again. One day, your family will remember those rituals. It doesn't have to include handpainted porcelain and sterling silver. Do what works for your family and your style, but build those traditions in based on things that are special to you.
Happy Epiphany and Happy Mardi Gras season!
XoxoL
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