Mardi Gras is one of the biggest celebrations leading up to Lent and the festivities traditionally involve revelers adorning themselves in purple, green, and gold. The iconic Mardi Gras colors have become synonymous with the celebration, but do they follow a specific order?
The Meaning Behind the Colors
The colors purple, green, and gold each have symbolic meaning related to Mardi Gras and the Carnival season.
Purple represents justice. During Lent, fasting and prayer are used to reflect on spiritual matters rather than worldly pleasures. The color is meant to remind revelers of their sins and the need for atonement.
Green is emblematic of faith. It represents the spiritual growth and renewal celebrated during the Lenten season. The color asks people to have faith and hope in the future.
Gold signifies power. In medieval times, power was associated with wealth. The color gold in Mardi Gras celebrations reflects God’s power over humanity.
The colors come together to form the Christian virtues of justice, faith, and power. By displaying these colors, Mardi Gras celebrators demonstrate their commitment to these values during the Carnival season.
History of the Colors
The official colors of Mardi Gras became established in 1872 with the formation of Rex, the city’s oldest parading Carnival organization. The group adopted purple, green, and gold as the official symbolic colors representing justice, faith, and power.
However, the use of those colors dates back even earlier. Records show purple, green, and gold flags flying over New Orleans as early as 1857. They were also described being displayed for Carnival beginning in 1866.
Before Rex made them official, the traditional Mardi Gras colors followed a different order: purple, gold, and green. The colors were sometimes varied with red replacing purple.
So while purple, green, and gold have long been associated with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, their set order changed over time. The order of green, gold, and purple became solidified once Rex proclaimed them the official colors in 1872.
Displaying the Colors Today
Today, Mardi Gras celebrators continue to adorn themselves and displays in purple, green, and gold. The colors appear on everything from clothes and masks to decorations and throws.
Beads and doubloons tossed from floats feature the iconic colors. Riders often coordinate their outfits and throws to match the overall color scheme of their krewe’s parade based on the order of the colors.
| Krewe | Color Order |
|---|---|
| Rex | Purple, Green, Gold |
| Zulu | Gold, Purple, Green |
| Elks Orleanians | Purple, Gold, Green |
| Thoth | Gold, Green, Purple |
Some krewes choose to vary the order, like Zulu using gold first. But Rex’s order of purple, green, gold remains the standard.
The colors also adorn flags and banners throughout New Orleans during Mardi Gras season. Homes and businesses display decorations featuring the iconic colors.
Traditional King Cakes are decorated with icing and sugar in purple, green, and gold. The sweet cakes are eaten throughout the Carnival season leading up to Lent.
No matter how they are displayed, the colors purple, green, and gold have become an iconic symbol of Mardi Gras deeply rooted in history and tradition.
International Mardi Gras Celebrations
New Orleans established the iconic trio of purple, green, and gold as the colors symbolic of Mardi Gras. However, other places around the world have adopted their own colors and traditions for pre-Lenten Carnival festivities.
In Brazil, red, green, white, pink, orange, and black are significant colors during the Rio Carnival celebration. Red and black represent the Afro-Brazilian heritage, while green, white, and yellow reflect the Brazilian national colors.
Venice, Italy opts for bold reds and oranges during the Carnival of Venice. The colors represent the vibrancy of celebrations before Lenten sacrifices. Black is also important as a symbol of the required masks.
Mardi Gras colors around the world:
| Location | Colors |
|---|---|
| New Orleans | Purple, Green, Gold |
| Rio de Janeiro | Red, Green, White, Pink, Orange, Black |
| Venice | Red, Orange, Black |
So while purple, green, and gold reign supreme in New Orleans, other places create their own significant colors that represent local culture and meaning. The colors help celebrators get into the Carnival spirit.
Order of the Colors
When it comes to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, purple, green, and gold are always prominently displayed. But does the order matter?
The answer is yes. The official order established by the Rex organization is:
Purple
Green
Gold
This fixed sequence is the accepted order used on the Rex parade floats and served as the model for many other New Orleans krewes.
However, the order is sometimes varied, especially by older krewes. Some of the order variations include:
– Purple, Gold, Green
– Gold, Purple, Green
– Gold, Green, Purple
While the exact order may change, what remains constant is the three colors selected – purple, green, and gold.
The colors retain their symbolic meanings whether displayed in Rex’s order or an alternate sequence. But following Rex’s standard order helps reinforce the meaning of Mardi Gras and provides consistency from parade to parade.
Significance of the Color Order
Rex purposefully arranged the colors in a fixed order to reflect the message and meaning of Mardi Gras.
Purple appears first as a reminder of sin and the need for atonement. During the Carnival season, people indulge before repenting and sacrificing for Lent. Purple asks them to prepare for redemption.
Green follows purple to represent the coming period of spiritual growth. Once sins have been purged and forgiveness sought, people can focus on faith and renewal during Lent.
Gold appears last as a symbol of the power lent by God to aid in the process of atonement and growth. By placing it last, the color order reflects the process of sin, redemption through faith, and receiving God’s power to complete the journey.
This order reinforces Rex’s goal of establishing the deeper meaning of Mardi Gras. The colors serve as a message to celebrate joyfully but not lose sight of faith and sacrifice during the Carnival season.
Exceptions to the Color Order
Most New Orleans Mardi Gras krewes follow Rex’s purple, green, gold color order. However, some choose to display the colors in a different sequence.
As previously noted, Zulu opts for gold first in their color order. Some krewes such as Elks Orleanians use purple first. Others like Thoth start with gold then green and purple.
The exact order may vary, but the krewes uphold the tradition of displaying all three colors. The original meaning of justice, faith, and power still shines through.
Some New Orleans homes and businesses also occasionally veer from the standard order, mixing up purple, green, and gold decorations. As long as all three colors appear, they still represent the Carnival spirit.
While Rex’s order remains the accepted standard, exceptions remind us that the colors carry meaning bigger than any sequence. Their core message of reflection and celebration unites Mardi Gras, no matter the order.
Does Order Matter?
When it comes to the iconic Mardi Gras colors, does the set order really matter as long as purple, green, and gold appear?
The answer is both yes and no.
Yes, the fixed sequence established by Rex carries meaning. The order of purple, green, then gold purposefully reflects the process of redemption during Carnival season. This standard order reinforces the symbolic message of the colors.
However, Rex did not trademark the sequence. Float riders, businesses owners, and everyday celebrators are free to arrange the colors as they see fit. And the colors retain their core meanings of justice, faith, and power regardless of order.
So while the standard order has significance, it does not supersede the import of the colors themselves. What matters most is displaying purple, green, and gold, not precisely sequencing them. The colors unite the shared joy and merriment of Mardi Gras.
In that sense, yes, the order has meaning. But no, the colors do not lose their significance if arranged differently. The irrepressible spirit of Carnival shines through any order of purple, green, and gold.
Conclusion
Mardi Gras colors follow a tradition established in 1872 by Rex of purple, green, then gold. This fixed sequence purposefully reflects the need for atonement, spiritual growth, and God’s power during Carnival season.
Yet the order allows for flexibility, seen in the variations adopted by some krewes and businesses. What matters is inclusion of all three colors, not the precise arrangement. The core symbols of justice, faith, and power remain.
So while the standard order carries meaning, the irrepressible joy and spirit of Mardi Gras ultimately outshines any sequence. Carnival colors unite celebrators, no matter their order. When purple, green, and gold fill the streets of New Orleans, the revelry begins.
