King cake, Mardi Gras Catholic traditions point to Lent

Reason for the season usually reminds people that secular influences can easily distract their hearts from the real reason for the Christmas season, the birth of our savior.

As with the commercialization of other Catholic holidays, such as Easter and Christmas, the reason for Mardi Gras has also become easy to miss. In fact, even though I grew up in New Orleans, I had forgotten (or never knew) some of the meanings behind it all.   

Almost everyone knows that Mardi Gras ends when Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Because Lent is a time when we pray and fast, usually “giving something up” so that we may hone our focus on God, people traditionally sacrificed things like sugar, milk and eggs. Thereby, on what became known as Mardi Gras or “Fat Tuesday,” people consumed the remainder of all such foods not only to use them before the food spoiled, but also so they wouldn’t have them around during Lent.

The beginning of Mardi Gras, when people start eating king cake, is also directly linked to the Catholic liturgical calendar. It begins on Kings’ Day, also known as Three Kings’ Day – the feast of the Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas. On this day, we recognize the three kings who watched for signs of the coming of the Messiah and, upon seeing the Star of Bethlehem, set out on their journey to find Jesus and honor him as the “most high king” of all creation.

Fittingly, there is only one baby in your king cake, because there is only one king of heaven, Jesus Christ.

While the secular history behind the chosen colors of Mardi Gras is vague, I personally found inspiration for them by researching and reflecting on the gifts of the three kings. The first king (gold) brought our Lord gold, symbolizing his fidelity, devotion and love for holy truth. The second king (purple) brought the Infant Jesus frankincense, representing his reverence and desire to unite with the will of God, to serve the supreme king. The third king (green) brought our savior myrrh, a delicate green plant that symbolized mortification as well as triumph over the temptation to sin.      

As we enjoy the revelry of the Mardi Gras season, may we remember the reason for the season: Christ the King himself. Mardi Gras is our celebration of the eternal life that our Savior made possible for us if we turn our hearts to him with true devotion, surrender and humility like that of the three kings.

And, when we share our next king cake, may we say a prayer of thanks for the abundance of blessings we enjoy and pray that we find the infant Jesus in our lives.

A native of New Orleans, Charla Misse feels blessed to worship, work and play in her hometown. She supports various charitable organizations, sits on the finance committee for St. Dominic Church and is a Boy Scouts of America den leader and religious emblems coordinator. Things that make her happy are laughing with her family, baking for her loved ones, exercising outdoors, visiting the adoration chapel and picking her so