All across France today, on January 6th, parents are asking the youngest member of the family to sit under the table as dessert is being served. Pourquoi? Because it is the Day of the Epiphany and the Galette des Rois (the Cake of Kings) is being served. “Je ne comprend pas,” you say. In France, the Day of the Epiphany–the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas–marks the day that the Three Kings brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the manger in Bethlehem where the little Lord Jesus was asleep on the hay. The word epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphaneia which means “manifestation or striking appearance,” and, in Western Christian churches, came to name the day that commemorates when the Three Wise Men observation of the revelation of God in the form of a human being, Jesus Christ. Once more religiously significant than Christmas, today its observance (outside of some acknowledgement in church services) is largely confined to European countries, especially France, Italy, and Spain. In France, not surprisingly, the celebration takes place around–and, well, under–the table and it centers around the Galette des Rois. This cake–actually cakes as there are regional variations–holds in [...]