Several of us native Louisianians and our "married-in" or "dated-in" counterparts got together tonight for a Mardi Gras celebration in Fort Worth! We have to be true to our roots! Funny thing, though. I never celebrated Mardi Gras when I lived in Louisiana, but this is my second Mardi Gras festivity since being in Texas! :-) 
Michael and Meg are regularly getting everyone together for an event, and this night it was to celebrate "Fat Tuesday." Meg made some great jambalaya and the Bufkins brought a king cake. The New Orleans tradition, begun in the 1870s, borrows heavily from European customs. As part of the celebration of Mardi Gras, it is traditional to bake an oval cake in honor of the three Magi, or kings - thus the King Cake. The shape of a King
Cake symbolizes the unity of faiths. Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is baked into each cake. Like the biblical story, the "search for the baby" adds excitement, as each person waits to see in whose slice of cake the baby will be discovered. While custom holds that the person who finds the baby in their slice will be rewarded with good luck, that person is also traditionally responsible for bringing the 
King Cake to the next party or gathering. Jason was the lucky one with the baby and will be the provider for the King Cake next year!
Thanks, Michael and Meg, for hosting a fun Mardi Gras celebration....anyone giving anything up for Lent? (I know, we're not Catholic either, but I like giving something up and being reminded of the days leading up to Easter!) I'm giving up chips for Lent and Daniel is giving up coffee. You're welcome to hold us accountable. What are you giving up?
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