Believe it or not, Mardi Gras is a religious celebration also called Shrove Tuesday which occurs the day before the beginning of the season of Lent in the Christian calendar.
The King Cake is baked to celebrate the arrival of the Magi who honored the infant Jesus. It is decorated with gold to indicate His power; green signifies the everliving faith of Christians; and the purple is associated with the royalty of Christ. The cake is woven into the shape of a crown to honor Christ, the King of Kings.
A baby, usually made of rubber, is inserted into the cake after it is baked and before it is served. Whoever finds the baby Jesus in his portion of cake is traditionally expected to host the Mardi Gras party the following year.
Carnivals are celebrated around the world, but New Orleans has become synonymous for the world's most colorful site for Mardi Gras.
Liturgical colors for the year are: Purple for Lent, Easter and Pentecost season is represented by red, Advent is gold or yellow and Christmas/Epiphany have green as their representative colors. Christian priests and ministers wear stoles over their robes in these seasonal colors.
No comments:
Post a Comment