King Cake
We lived in the Deep South for several years. I have picked up things (sayings, mannerisms, etc.) from each place we have lived in our lives. For example, I’ve been known for slipping in a “y’all” when speaking. It’s just one of those words that made intuitive sense to me and I incorporated it into my mannerisms.
Most of the south is predominantly Baptist but the area we lived in was predominantly Catholic (that should narrow down your guess right away to New Orleans). So, deep south, Catholic and Latino influence came together for some wonderful food and celebrations mostly around Christ’s birth and death (maybe you’ve heard of Mardi Gras?)
Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the King Cake or 3 kings cake tradition. As the tradition was told to me, a King Cake, which is a yeast based, dough desert, oval shaped kind of like a crown, and iced with sprinkles of three colors - gold, purple, and green. This cake honors Christ’s birth (traditionally, there is a small plastic Christ baby hidden in the cake) where the gold represents power, the purple represents justice, and the green represents faith. The first King cake is first served near Epiphany to commemorate the visit of the 3 wise men to the baby Jesus.
Where I worked, we cut ourselves a slice of the King cake and whoever got the piece with the plastic baby was “honored” with bringing the next King cake the following Friday. We continued until Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. I found it fascinating to see adults split into a group that actively tried to avoid getting the baby or not. I always considered it an honor (but it did mean I had to stop at the bakery soon) to get the baby.
“Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” - Matthew 2:7-12 ESV
Traditions certainly can be both good and bad. They are bad if the tradition obscures the meaning of the reason for their existence. Back then, I have to admit, I wasn’t reflecting on the birth of Christ and the 3 wise men every week when we had a king cake. The focus was more on getting a treat, and for a lot of people, avoiding getting the plastic baby. I’d like to believe that now if we celebrated the king cake tradition around here I might have a different attitude about it.
Traditions can be good when they help you to stop and consider something important. Many times I have heard an elder remind the congregation to consider why we take communion and encourage us to get our heart in order. If a king cake tradition reminds us to stop and consider the impact of the birth of our Lord and Savior then the tradition is good.
“Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.’” - Mark 7:1-13 ESV
