History Of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras came to the United States through its French heritage in 1699. 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.