Mardi Gras came to New Orleans through its French
heritage in 1699. Early explorers celebrated this
French Holiday on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Throughout the years, Orleanians have added
to the celebration by establishing krewes
(organizations) which host parades and balls.
Carnival quickly became an exciting holiday for both
children and adults. Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday"
and of course is celebrated on that day
of the week. The date can fall between February 3 and
March 9 depending on the Lunar calendar,
used by the Catholic Church to determine the date
of Easter. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.
The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green,
and gold. These colors were chosen in 1872 by
the King of Carnival, Rex. He chose these colors
to stand for the following:
Purple represents justice, green stands for faith,
gold stands for power. The Mardi Gras season
begins on January 6 and continues until Fat Tuesday,
the day before Ash Wednesday. On the Christian
calendar, the twelfth day after Christmas is known
as "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day."
It is the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby
Jesus, and is celebrated with its own unique rituals.