Epiphany

One of the great things about living in Brussels, where two cultures meet, French and Dutch, is that the Christmas season extends over a month! From Sinterklaas on December 6 to Epiphanie on January 6 the festivals distract from the cold and grey weather. The traditions which surround Epiphany in Belgium comes from the French. Local bakeries stack gateau de rois on counters and in windows each wearing a gold paper crown. Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the three kings to Jerusalem in search of the christ child. The cake is symbolic of their gifts brought to baby Jesus. Just as in Biblical times, the fun of bringing a cake home isn't just the wonderful flakey crust and marzipan (almond) filling, but the secret 'gift' hidden inside. The lucky person that finds the prize gets to wear the epiphany crown for the day.
Our cake was purchased from our favorite bakery, le Pain Quotidien. It had a small ceramic tile inside with the logo of the bakery printed on it. Since we were just three and Lu isn't old enough to particpate other than eating and donning the crown, we skipped the part of the tradition that requires the youngest member of the household to sit under the table and assign each piece of the gateau to those seated at the table. Mom picked out the tile in order to avoid any dramatic choking episodes and Lu got to be 'king' for the day.