With Mardi Gras all about music, parades, picnics and floats, revellers dress in purple, green and gold, while adorning themselves with long beads caught from the floats of previous parades. Mardi Gras Necklace Fleur De Lis Holiday Prom Necklaces for Women Sterling Silver Crown. The Carnival season starts on January 6, the Christian feast of the Epiphany, and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is actually a whole season – not just one day.īut Fat Tuesday is the biggest day, and the date it falls on changes, to be held any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9.

On Fat Tuesday, masking is legal for everyone else. Purple stands for justice, gold for power, and green for faith.īy law, float riders must always have a mask on. To honour the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff, his family colours of purple, green and gold were introduced as the carnival’s official colours. The first Mardi Gras parade was held in New Orleans on February 24, 1857. Dazzling gaslight torches, or “flambeaux” lit the way. New Orleans was established in 1718, and Mardi Gras was celebrated openly back then, but not with the same type of parades people enjoy today.īy the late 1830s, though, New Orleans was hosting street processions of masked people, with carriages and horseback riders. The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to Medieval Europe, passing through Rome and Venice in the 1600s and 1700s and from France to the country’s colonies.

Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” – also called Shrove Tuesday – referring to the last day of eating rich foods before Lent begins.Ĭelebrations for Mardi Gras in America are most famous in New Orleans, where it is the conclusion of weeks of parades that kick off in January.

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