Epiphany
The word "epiphany" is of Greek origin. It means "apparition" The feast of the Epiphany corresponds to the day when the three wise men, guided by the light of a star, reached Jesus, in the stable where he was born. To celebrate his arrival and as a way of respect, the Three Kings offered gifts to Jesus: gold, myrrh (resin from an Arabian tree, balsam tree), frankincense.
We eat the galette des rois that day, because it is the Church which instituted this typically French tradition. It dates back to the 13th century (between 1200 and 1300 years). On this occasion, the cake was divided into as many portions as guests, plus one portion. This additional portion, called "part of the Good Lord" or "part of the Virgin" was given to the first poor person to pass.
On the first Sunday of January, tradition has it that it is the occasion to "shoot the kings" at the epiphany: a bean is hidden in the cake and the person who obtains this bean becomes the king of the day and has the right to wear a fancy crown. It is the youngest of the guests, hidden under the table, who decides on the distribution of the shares. Tradition has it that whoever finds the bean, designates a king or a queen, and kisses it.
THE BEAN
The bean in the galette des rois dates back to Roman times. In the 11th century (between 1000 and 1100 years), some used to designate their leader by hiding a coin in a piece of bread. A silver coin, a gold coin or for the poorest, a white bean. Whoever found it was then elected. Later this bread was replaced by brioche. At the end of the 18th century, porcelain beans appeared, representing the infant Jesus in porcelain. Under the Revolution, the infant Jesus was replaced by a Phrygian cap. Bean seeds were systematically replaced since 1870 (year of the Paris Commune) by porcelain figurines, then more recently, plastic. For the record, the Élysée welcomes a beanless cake every year because pulling the kings does not agree with the idea of the Republic.
