Now that January 6, the beginning of Mardi Gras season, has passed attention turns to Mardi Gras. It is a fine point of the actual start of the Mardi Gras season, since the reason for using January 6 is it has traditionally been the Feast of the Epiphany. Currently, the Catholic Church shifts some feasts to Sundays, so it could be argued the season started on January 3 this year. Since people often start early, the official start of the season is not significant.
With Covid there is a problem with parades. People on the floats can distance themselves, but that would mean fewer people could ride a float, and there is no practical way to enforce distancing the crowds who would watch the parades. So, Mardi Gras parades, a significant part of Mardi Gras, have been cancelled. The exception was the Phunny Phorty Phellows, a group who ride streetcars instead of floats. They proclaim the beginning of Mardi Gras and have made their trek this year.
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During the Mardi Gras season the tradition is oval shape and purple, green and gold. The season has a varying length, since Mardi Gras always falls the day before Lent, and always starts January 6. To make more money bakers started baking open heart shaped cakes colored in red for Saint Valentine's Day. red and green cakes for Christmas, and if one wanted to make a cake for Saint Patrick's Day it would be green, and perhaps in the shape of an open shamrock. They are quite creative. One baker sells a chocolate version, I believe, and calls it a Queen's cake. It is up to the baker. There is no rule. True French King Cakes do not even look like the ones here, but can be found at a certain French bakery, I believe they started this, and the French who came to Louisiana, named for King Louis of France, brought and altered some traditions.
Re-visiting this article brought to mind a question that I'd meant to ask you previously.
In the comments below, you describe short-season cakes as having the same taste but different colors and perhaps different shapes. What do the bakers do if they want to make a Saint Patrick's Day cake in a signature shape during a not particularly long season?
Traditionally, King Cakes are sold from January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, until Mardi Gras. This year the season is particularly long, Mardi Gras coming March 1 and the Feast of the Epiphany was moved by the Church to the preceding Sunday, so it was January 2. To make a larger profit when the season is short they sell for Valentine's Day in red, Christmas in red and green, and Saint Patrick's Day in green. The color is just food coloring, so the cake tastes the same. Sometimes the shape is altered, like a heart for Valentine's Day.
blackspanielgallery, Belated wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
This week, I've been listening to Quirquinchos de corazón by Awatiñas. Their infectiously enthusiastic celebration of the world-famous Oruro Carnaval made me think of your article about New Orleans' yearly Mardi Gras.
Previously, I meant to ask you why are some bakeries not employing the usual gold, green, purple colors in King Cakes, what colors do they employ instead and why do they use these substitutes?
Will Mardi Gras 2022 be streamed?
Mardi Gras is normally huge in New Orleans, and much of south Louisiana participates, including Baton Rouge and Lafayette. The area of impact stretches west to Houston, Texas, and east through coastal Mississippi and certainly to Mobile, Alabama, which has an older celebration than New Orleans. This area had different cultural origins, having been settled by France and Spain, two countries that were Catholic. It is a time of plenty before the somber period of Lent. Hence southern Louisiana in more impacted than northern Louisiana.
blackspanielgallery, Thank you for all the practical information, pretty pictures and product lines.
Are Mardi Gras celebrations historically big revenue sources for all Louisiana or predominantly for New Orleans? It's impressive how innovative people are being to make sure that people who look forward to the celebrations are not disappointed.