A Festival Fit for Kings in France's La Fête Des Rois

A Festival Fit for Kings in France's La Fte Des Rois

As a colourful event that is the culmination of two ancient traditions, the La Fte des Rois festival is a uniquely French holiday that has a centuries long history that dates back to antiquity. Dubbed as the combination of the Christian commemoration of the Epiphany and the pagan celebration of Les Saturnales in ancient Rome, the Three Kings Day festival is the French equivalent of the celebration of the three wise men's journey to Bethlehem.

Held on the first Sunday of every New Year, the event is a highly anticipated local festival that is dearly loved by both children and adults. Although the elements of the celebration of the Epiphany have changed over the centuries three vital traditions characterize the celebration of La Fte des Rois in modern day France. First of course is the making of the traditional puff pastry cake known as the galette des rois. Specially prepared and only made during this season, the delicacy is a favourite among the young and old as its frangipan - (almond paste) stuffed flakey taste is synonymous with this vibrant celebration. Certain districts in southern France however refrain from using the frangipan stuffing and make the galette des rois in the manner of a brioche which is typically consumed with dried fruits or sugar. Patisseries and grocers all over France scamper to make the delectable treat abundantly available during the season although there are some French citizens who still dare to make the beloved cake at home.

The second element is of course the fve which is a tiny object that is placed inside the cake. In the early years the fves placed inside consisted of porcelain pieces that featured characters from the nativity story such as Joseph and Mary. In later years, fves took the shape of charms such as horseshoes and four leaf clovers.

The third tradition involves the crowning of the king and queen. This tradition starts with the slicing ofthegalette des rois when a spare piece is left uneaten to symbolize lost loved ones or the less fortunate. The family members whose cake pieces contain the fves are considered the king and queen for the day and wear golden crowns made of paper accordingly. Seasonal songs are also part of the La Fte des Rois holiday which is enthusiastically celebrated with special events in schools all across France.

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