A Colorful Celebration

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a time of celebration! The parades, costumes and music are bold, lively and fun, and so are the carnival colors – purple, green and gold.

It’s been said that Rex, the King of Carnival, chose the colors in 1872, with purple representing justice, green for faith, and gold for power. But where did the meanings come from?

Historians say the King of Carnival didn’t even declare the meaning behind the colors until 1892, two decades later, and that he chose them simply because he liked the way they looked together. 

Regardless of how or why the colors were chosen, they were a good choice and remain an important part of the Mardi Gras tradition. The colors are a bold, bright combination that works.

If you look at color charts used by visual artists, the purple, green and gold of Mardi Gras actually look pretty similar to the color triad of purple, green and orange from the color wheel used in color theory. The colors in color triads are equidistant on the color wheel, so they create a balanced color scheme.

It’s no wonder that, between the boldness of each of the Mardi Gras colors and the balance created by using them together, Mardi Gras colors are as appealing and lively as the celebration itself.

Happy Mardi Gras!   

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