Mardi Gras beads, King Cakes and lots and lots of students were all in the library at Italy High School Tuesday morning around 8:45. Everyone was there getting a slice of King Cake hoping to find a plastic baby. If they were lucky enough to find the baby in their slice of cake any library fines the student had would be dismissed.

King Cakes are believed to have originated around the twelfth century in France. The coming of the three wise men bearing gifts twelve days after Christmas was celebrated by the early Europeans. This was called the feast of the Epiphany, Twelfth Night or King’s day.

The biggest part of this celebration was the baking of a King Cake to honor the three Kings. These cakes were circular in shape to portray the circular route the Kings used to get to the Christ Child to confuse King Herod. Herod was trying to follow the wise men to kill the newborn King. Inside the King Cakes a bean or a pea or a coin was hidden. It was believed that who ever got the hidden piece was declared King for the day or was said to have good luck in the coming year.

Twelfth Night in Louisiana also signifies the beginning of the carnival season, which ends on Mardi Gras Day. The beans, peas and coins have been replaced by a small plastic baby to symbolize the Christ Child. The carnival festivities will be carried on by the person who gets the baby by hosting the next King Cake Party.

Six lucky students found the plastic baby in their slice of King Cake. They were: Sakendra Norwood, Destani Anderson, Devonta Simmons Marcus Surles, Travis Wood and Michael Claxton.

“The reason we do Mardi Gras in the library is because some kids don’t ever come into the library. It gets students in the library that don’t read and we hope that maybe, just maybe they might sit down and read a book,” explained Sharan Farmer.