The Accidental Colors of Mardi Gras
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New Orleans has a strange rule. Every float rider must wear a mask. No company logo can ever go on a float. Private clubs called krewes pay for it all. Beads. Bands. Everything.
This guide covers the real story. You'll learn about the 1699 landing that started it all. You'll see how a group of businessmen picked Mardi Gras' colors by accident in 1872. You'll find out why a plastic baby hides in king cake. And you'll learn the strange history behind everything thrown from a float.
In this article
Mardi Gras Quick Facts
First Mardi Gras landing: March 2, 1699 (some sources cite March 3). French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near the Mississippi. They named the spot "Pointe du Mardi Gras."
First actual celebration: 1703. French colonists at Fort Louis de la Mobile (present-day Mobile, Alabama) held it.
New Orleans founded: 1718, by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville.
First recorded use of "Carnival": 1781. Tied to the Perseverance Benevolent and Mutual Aid Association.
First torch-lit parade: 1857, by the Mistick Krewe of Comus.
Krewe of Rex founded: 1872, to honor a visiting Russian Grand Duke.
Legal holiday: 1875. Louisiana signed the "Mardi Gras Act." It's still the only U.S. state where Mardi Gras is an official holiday.
Colors chosen: 1872. Purple, green and gold matched a visiting Grand Duke's family colors. The meanings (justice, faith, power) came later, in 1892.
2026 date: Tuesday, February 17. The date moves every year with Easter.
Carnival season: starts Twelfth Night, January 6. Runs through Fat Tuesday.
Corporate sponsorship: banned on every float by city law. Krewes fund the parades themselves.
History & Origins
Mardi Gras started in medieval Europe. It grew from old pagan spring rites. Those rites echoed Roman festivals called Saturnalia and Lupercalia. The tradition spread through Rome and Venice, then reached France. The French House of Bourbon carried it further. They had a custom called "Boeuf Gras," or "fatted calf." They paraded a fatted calf through the streets before fasting began. French colonists brought this custom across the ocean. On March 2, 1699, explorers landed near the Mississippi River. Their names were Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Sieur de Bienville. They named the spot "Pointe du Mardi Gras," honoring the date back home.
The first real celebration came a few years later, in 1703. French colonists at Fort Louis de la Mobile marked the day. Bienville later founded New Orleans in 1718. By the 1730s, street celebrations were already common there. The word "Carnival" first shows up in New Orleans records in 1781. That's tied to a group called the Perseverance Benevolent and Mutual Aid Association. This came decades before the torch-lit parades we picture today.
Bold Mardi Gras designs on glossy metal. Sized for a desk. Comes with a matching 5mm mouse pad. Handcrafted in North Liberty, Iowa.
Shop Collection →Krewes, Colors & Traditions
What a Krewe Actually Is
A krewe is a private club. It plans and pays for its own parade, floats, throws, and bands too. The Mistick Krewe of Comus started it all. A group of Mobile natives founded it. In 1857, they ran the city's first torch-lit parade. That parade set the format every krewe still uses today. Not bad for a members-only dinner club.
The Accidental Colors
In 1872, the new Krewe of Rex needed a flag. Every proper kingdom needs one. They followed the old rules of heraldry. Those rules call for a mix of "metal" and "non-metal" tones. So they picked purple, green, and gold. These colors also matched a visiting Russian Grand Duke's family colors. His name was Alexis Romanoff. He was touring the city that season. The famous meanings came much later. Purple means justice. Green means faith. Gold means power. Rex didn't attach those meanings until 1892. That year, their parade theme was "Symbolism of Colors."
Masks Are the Law, Logos Are Banned
Louisiana law requires it. Every float rider must wear a mask or face paint. Few places in the country require that. City rules also ban company logos on floats. No exceptions. Krewes pay their own way. That covers beads, doubloons, floats, and band fees.
"Laissez les bons temps rouler."
Traditional Louisiana Cajun expression, spoken throughout Carnival season
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Parades, Throws & King Cake
"Throw Me Something, Mister"
Floats have tossed items since at least 1871. The tradition may have started with a man dressed as Santa. He flung gifts from a float. Rex added branded coins called doubloons in 1884. Today, people fight over certain throws. Zulu coconuts. Muses shoes. Krewe of Iris sunglasses. Everyone shouts the same line: "Throw me something, mister."
Why There's a Baby in the King Cake
King cake started in Old France and Spain. A wreath-shaped cake marked January 6, the feast of the Three Kings. New Orleans took up the custom. They tied it to the start of Carnival season. By the late 1800s, a group called the Twelfth Night Revelers hid a trinket inside the cake. First it was a bean, then a pecan. The switch to a plastic baby happened around 1900. One story blames a traveling salesman. He had too many plastic babies to sell. Whoever finds the baby must bring the next cake.
Mardi Gras Indians
This tradition stands apart from krewe parades. Mardi Gras Indians are Black New Orleans residents. They hand-sew elaborate suits, each covered in thousands of beads and feathers. One suit takes a full year to build. It's worn for just one day. It's one of the city's oldest Carnival traditions. And it has nothing to do with any parade route.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras moves every year. It's tied to Easter. It always falls the day before Ash Wednesday. In 2026, that's Tuesday, February 17.
Why is it called Fat Tuesday?
"Mardi" means Tuesday in French. "Gras" means fat. The name comes from an old custom. People used up rich, fatty foods right before Lent's fasting began.
What do the Mardi Gras colors mean?
Purple, green, and gold go back to 1872. Rex chose them to match a visiting Russian Grand Duke's family colors. The meanings came later. Purple means justice. Green means faith. Gold means power. Rex assigned those meanings in 1892.
What is a krewe?
A krewe is a private club. It plans, builds, and pays for its own parade. The Mistick Krewe of Comus ran the first torch-lit parade in 1857. Every krewe since has followed that format.
Why is there a baby hidden inside king cake?
The custom started in the 1800s. People hid a trinket inside a Twelfth Night cake, first a bean, then a pecan. The switch to a plastic baby happened around 1900. Whoever finds it must bring the next cake.
Where can you get Mardi Gras decor like this for a desk?
X2Metal makes Mardi Gras designs on glossy ChromaLuxe metal. They're sized for a desk. Each one comes with a matching 5mm mouse pad. Browse the Mardi Gras Metal Prints collection. Everything is handcrafted in North Liberty, Iowa.
#MardiGras #FatTuesday #NewOrleans #Carnival #NOLA #KingCake #Krewes #PurpleGreenGold #LaissezLesBonsTempsRouler #MardiGrasHistory #MetalPrints #DeskDecor #MadeInIowa #X2Metal
About the author: Business Alchemist | Turning Ideas into Products, Brands & Businesses | Navid Malik. Navid is the founder of X2Metal, a metal print studio in North Liberty, Iowa creating bold, durable metal prints and 5mm mouse pads.
Disclaimer: This content was researched and written with AI assistance, cross-checked against official and primary sources at the time of publishing. Facts, figures, dates, and prices can change over time, and X2Metal is not responsible for any errors, outdated information, or decisions made based on this content. Please verify anything important independently before relying on it.
Sources: Mardi Gras New Orleans: History ↗, Mardi Gras New Orleans: History FAQs ↗, HISTORY.com: Mardi Gras ↗, New Orleans & Co.: Mardi Gras Fun Facts ↗, WAFB: What Do the Mardi Gras Colors Mean? ↗, NOLA.com: King Cake Babies History ↗. X2Metal is not affiliated with any organization mentioned in this post.
Sweet-treat designs on glossy metal. Sized for a desk. Comes with a matching 5mm mouse pad. Handcrafted in North Liberty, Iowa.
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