History of the King Cake

Where did the King Cake Tradition Come From?

The King Cake is believed to have originated in France around the 12th Century. In European countries, the coming of the three wise men bearing gifts to the Christ child is celebrated twelve days after Christmas, called the Feast of the Epiphany, Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night, or King's Day.

The most popular custom is the baking of a special cake in honor of the three kings... a "Kings Cake." These cakes were made round to portray the circular route used by the wise men. This route was taken in order to confuse King Herod who was trying to kill the Christ child.

In early European king cakes, a bean, pea, or coin was hidden inside the dough and the person who got the piece was declared king for a day, or was said to have good luck in the coming year. The Latin Americans; however, put a small figure inside the cakes representing the Christ child. The tradition has now evolved that the person who gets the baby is expected to carry on the carnival festivities by hosting the next king cake party. Starting the twelfth day after Christmas, king cake parties continue until the first day of Lent, ending on Fat Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras day!

King cakes were first introduced with little decorations on a simple ring of dough. The New Orleans style king cake is brightly decorated with the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple, representing justice; green, representing faith; and gold, representing power. Our fresh baked king cakes are part of another fine Louisiana tradition. So get into the Mardi Gras spirit and order your king cake today!

Wanna know all about our famous "Fat Tuesday" celebration and everything else Mardi Gras? Check out the authority: Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras Guide Page!

Each king cake package arrives with an "Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras Guide" so you'll be able to share in the frolic, fun, and great history of this famous Mardi Gras Tradition. Each guide contains 164 colorful pages of facts, photos, features, and fun, including more than 50 individual parade profiles and maps. The award-winning magazine includes a history of the event; answers to the 25 most frequently asked questions; an illustrated glossary of Mardi Gras terms; and articles on New Orleans personalities, traditions and happenings. For more than three decades, the city's top writers and photographers have worked together to create a publication that has achieved genuine collectible status. With more than two million copies sold, Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras Guide is recognized as the program to the event.

Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras Site includes many features of this unique book, including: the History of Mardi Gras, 2009 parade maps and schedules, as well as other cool information.