Let indulgence commence: Jan. 6 marks dawn of Carnival, firing of king cakes

Goings On
January 7, 2014
Eschew everyday attire for Carnival-appropriate costumes
January 7, 2014
Goings On
January 7, 2014
Eschew everyday attire for Carnival-appropriate costumes
January 7, 2014

Mardi Gras is March 4 and parades don’t begin rolling locally until Feb. 24, but the Carnival season ignites as always on Jan. 6, consistently 12 days after Christmas.


The later-than-average Mardi Gras date just means there’s a longer preparatory period and, of course, more time for king-cake consumption.

Jan. 6 (or 5th, in some circles) is the Feast of the Epiphany, or King’s Day, or more simply, Twelfth Night. For Christians it concludes the Christmas season and honors the three kings’ late arrival to see infant Jesus.

At Houma’s Plantation Inn, for more than 15 years, the holiday has also stood as the kickoff to Carnival, one holiday ceding to the next.


All local krewes, as well as the general public, are invited to the free-admission event, which has long been the Twelfth Night of Record and regularly facilitates an intermingling of those who harbor a devotion to Mardi Gras, its lead-up and its various traditions.

Typically, anywhere from 300 to 400 people attend “Twelfth Night Rendezvous,” said Melanie Burton, administrative assistant at Plantation Inn.

Food is served upstairs while a disc jockey performs. All royalty in attendance partake in the annual toast, which is tentatively scheduled for 9 p.m.


“The purpose of our function is to introduce the krewes to the public, have a party for them, have a toast to them,” Burton said.

Afterward, some in the crowd make their way downstairs, pulling from a cash bar and sampling hors d’oeuvres. The band Will Cooper and Southern Groove are scheduled to perform downstairs in the lounge.

“We hope to have a successful Twelfth Night in that the parking lot is chockablock,” said Burton, who has worked at Plantation Inn for 16 years. She’s not sure when the inaugural Rendezvous took place but knows it was before she was hired. “I’ve never been able to get the real story on why we started doing it. I have no clue. … A lot of the krewes were holding meetings here and functions here, and this may have been a way to pay them back for the business they had given us in the past.”


One local krewe is diverging from tradition to begin its own. The Krewe of Aphrodite’s Past Queen’s Club, which formed one year ago to coincide with the club’s 30th anniversary, itself featuring a rollout of past empresses, is holding its own Twelfth Night event at its Venture Boulevard den.

Queen Aphrodite XXX Lisa Martin is spearheading the idea, which she attributed to Barbara Sullivan, the club’s first queen who wanted a special event to recognize Aphrodite royalty.

“She always wanted to do a Twelfth Night event,” Martin said, “to kick off the Mardi Gras season and to honor our court.”


Aphrodite is sending invitation to other clubs’ royalty and those who attend will be honored. The krewe’s general membership is also invited, she said.

Aside from shepherding the buzz of Carnival, Twelfth Night is significant in terms of its renowned dessert. Where it might exhibit social tackiness to eat king cake on Jan. 4, indulgence is encouraged on the 6th and absolutely acceptable any time between then and Fat Tuesday.

Local bakeries combine to offer a variety in texture, flavor and size.


Houma’s Best Bakery has separated itself through its dough, a recipe conceived about 100 years ago that produces a cinnamon-and-sugar spiraled bread known as Chix-de-Femme, or “Bun of a Woman.” The local bakers sell hundreds of these yellow-hued cakes on parade days, and the ovens start burning on the 6th, co-owner Melissa Bertinot said. The bakery has also forged a partnership with the local delivery company U-Drop to begin shipping king cakes this year.

At Cannatas, the offered variety in flavor can be overwhelming. The grocer’s dough ranges from chocolate to red velvet to “gooey butter” and so many more, and more than 60 fillings offered include candy apple, creole praline and more.

Rouses, too, offers multiple king-cake packages, tailored to the size of the party: parade, economy and deluxe, among them.


Best Bakery co-owner Melissa Bertinot drizzles caramel atop a king cake, baked in the original Chix-de-Femme dough for which the Houma establishment is known.

COURTESY PHOTO