What is King Cake?
In pre-Christian religions of Western Europe, it was customary to choose a man to be the sacred king of the tribe for a year. That man would be treated like a king for the year, then he would be sacrificed, and his blood returned to the soil to ensure that the harvest would be successful. The method of choosing who would have the honor of being the sacred king was the King’s Cake. A coin or bean would be placed in the cake before baking, and whoever got the slice that had the coin was the chosen one. When Christianity extended its influence, many of the local customs were incorporated into Christian tradition and given a new spin. Catholic priests were not predisposed to human sacrifice, so the King’s Cake was converted into a celebration of the Magi, the three Kings who came to visit the Christ Child. The King Cake Today Schools and offices are the main sites for king cake parties these days. Someone will pick up a cake at the bakery on the way downtown and leave it out for everyone t
