Fat Tuesday

 

What is Fat Tuesday?

 

From Wikipedia: 

Mardi Gras (/ˈmɑːrdi ˌɡrɑː/), or Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before the ritual Lenten sacrifices and fasting of the Lenten season.

Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is also known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the word shrive, meaning "to administer the sacrament of confession to; to absolve

 

 

There is also a Mardi Gras tradition known as King Cake....

 

Have you heard of it?

 

 

Also from Wikipedia:

 

King Cake in the U.S

In the Southeastern region, particularly Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, king cake is associated with Mardi Gras and is served during Carnival^[4] and year round.^[17] It may have been introduced by Basque settlers in 1718,^[18] or by the French in 1870.^[19]

It comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough. It may be topped with icing or sugar, which may be colored to show the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.^[4]

Cakes may also be filled with cream cheese, praline, cinnamon, or strawberry. The "Zulu King Cake" has chocolate icing with a coconut filling.^[20]

Traditionally, a small porcelain baby,^[21] symbolizing Jesus, is hidden in the king cake and is a way for residents of New Orleans to celebrate their Christian faith.^[22] The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year's cake^[23] or hosting the next Mardi Gras party.^[20][24] Bakers have recently been placing the baby outside of the cake to avoid liability for any choking hazard.^[25]

In 2009 the New Orleans Pelicans introduced the King Cake Baby as a seasonal mascot.^[26]

 

So for the first time ever, we ordered a King Cake and got ours delivered by Maurice's Bakery in New Orleans, Louisiana!

 

Check them out HERE

 

 

Ours came a little early and was delivered on Saturday.  I was glad, though, as that was my one and only cheat day of the week so I could have a sliver!

 

 

I had to ice the cake and put the sprinkles on when it was delivered and it came out beautiful in its rich colors of purple (justice), gold (power) and green (faith)

 

 

 We read the history of the King Cake and Fat Tuesday and then we all talked about what we were giving up/sacrificing during Lent this year....it is always fun to hear what everyone is thinking and I am proud of my girls for putting some serious thought into their sacrifices...we will attend mass and get ashes on Wednesday and partake in some different Stations of the Cross events during Lent- I am looking forward to this more than ever this year....

so who found the baby?????

Miss Eva did!  We crowned her Queen Of The Day!  We had some laughs and enjoyed some cake and the girls loved the beads and coins that came along with the cake....fun new tradition...some day we will have to get to New Orleans too!

Do you have any Fat Tuesday or Ash Wednesday traditions?  How about during Lent?  I know we will be talking about Easter traditions sooner than later too but always curious to see what special traditions are shared out there!

 

 

 

 

 Linking up with Erika for Tuesday Talk HERE