The Colors of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras decoration is all about the colors. Look at any picture of Mardi Gras floats and you’ll quickly see the theme. But why those colors? In 1872, the Krewe of Rex was founded. The organization was created to put on a spectacle for visiting Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia and to entice tourists to visit a post-civil war New Orleans.

The krewe designed elaborate floats and quickly became a fixture in the Mardi Gras parade. An individual is chosen annually to represent the krewe as their Rex (the latin word for king) as the self proclaimed “King of Carnival”. The first reigning Rex chose the colors and assigned them meanings. Many of its traditions, not just the colors, were adapted by other krewes and are a traditional part of the Mardi Gras celebration to this day.

The colors and their meanings are as follows:

Purple – Justice
Gold – Power
Green – Faith

A Floral Tradition

Flowers are a long-standing tradition in Mardi Gras decoration. Almost every float has some variation of floral accent. And for those who can’t make it to New Orleans this year, flowers mark one of the easiest and most attractive ways to decorate for your party. The colors of Mardi Gras could not have been more perfectly chosen. Purples, greens and golds are prevalent in the floral world, and some of the most popular flowers come in those hues.