Mardi Gras History

• Mardi Gras stems from Roman holidays that marked seasonal shifts.roman ruins image by rrruss from Fotolia.com
  
  French for 'Fat Tuesday', Mardi Gras is a bacchanalian-flavored festival that precedes the solemn days of Lent, a last hooray before a period of repentance. Although the celebration is rooted in pagan culture as a way to commemorate the change of seasons, Christianity has absorbed the holiday, turning the occasion into a time of frivolity before the Lenten observances. French settlers brought it to the New World in 1699.
  
  

Bead History

• While Mardi Gras is roughly 300 years old, Mardi Gras beads only date to the 1800s.sparkling beads image by Roslen Mack from Fotolia.com
  
  Beads became a standard feature starting in 1840 when strands were first handed out to parade goers. Between 1870 and 1880, parade participants dressed as Santa Claus began strutting the parade routes wearing the beads. During the Roaring Twenties, celebrators began to throw beads made of cheap glass imported from Czechoslovakia. Beginning roughly around the 1960s, glass beads were supplanted by plastic beads shipped in from China and Taiwan.
  
  

Rex Organization

• The Rex Organization initiated the 'King' of Mardi Gras as well as the trinity of colors.Venice carnival mask image by Lovrencg from Fotolia.com
  
  Like many southern cities, New Orleans struggled economically in the wake of the Civil War and locals needed a way to bolster tourism. A coterie of businessmen decided to tap into the city's iconic Mardi Gras parades, thus establishing the Rex Organization. They decided that a king was necessary. 'Rex' was the name of the anointed king, who was also nicknamed the 'Monarch of Merriment'. It was this organization that established purple, green and gold as the official colors in 1872.
  
  

Significance

• Mardi Gras purple, green and gold bead blend has royal and religious ties.sparkling coins image by Roslen Mack from Fotolia.com
  
  Though it is not completely clear why the purple, green and gold trinity was chosen initially, the colors have come to have specific meanings. Purple signifies justice, green refers to faith and gold is a symbol of power. One theory for the color selection is attached to the 1872 visit of Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff Alexandrovitch, whose brother was heir to the Russian throne. With purple associated with royalty as well as church officials, the color blend was seen as regal and indicative of the holiday's connection to Lent.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Many New Orleans residents dislike the practice of baring the breasts to acquiring beadsusa image by TEMISTOCLE LUCARELLI from Fotolia.com
  
  According to contributing locals on mardigrasneworleans.com, there is no traditional basis for the practice of women baring their breasts to acquire beads. This is a habit of spring-break tourists and is centered on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter where strip clubs are located. In actuality, many longtime New Orleans residents consider the practice insulting and degrading. The preferred method of acquiring beads from parade participants is merely to call out, "Throw me something, mister!"