Carnival Season begins each year on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany that celebrates the Bibical story of the Three Magi visting with gifts for the Baby Jesus.
Epiphany, meaning "to show" celebrates the fact that the Magi, who were Gentiles, recognized Jesus, even as an infant, as the savior and so shows that Jesus came to save all mankind, not just the people of Israel.
Carnival, or Mardi Gras season, is synonymous with King Cake Season. The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870.
A King Cake is an oval-shaped cake to mimic the crown of a king as well as the unity of people of all faiths. It is decorated in royal colors of PURPLE which signifies "Justice," GREEN for "Faith," and GOLD for "Power."
In the past such things as coins, beans, pecans, or peas were also hidden in each King Cake. Today, a tiny plastic, or in some cases porcelain, baby is the common prize. Each person partaking of the cake looks to see if their piece contains the "baby." If so, then that person is named "King" for a day and bound by custom to host the next party and provide the King Cake.