Mardi Gras MasksMardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” the day before Ash

Wednesday when Lent begins. The Origin of “Fat Tuesday” is believed to have come from a pagan custom in Europe of parading a fat ox through the streets before a period of fasting. The celebration surrounding the parade was filled with excessive consumption and general rowdy behavior before the fast. On March 2, 1699, French Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, naming it “Pointe du Mardi Gras” when his men realized it was the eve of the Mardi Gras celebration.

Mardi Gras is a 300-year old tradition in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana and is rooted in the French affinity for Masquerade balls. Participants of these celebrations wore masks that allowed them to conceal their identities and engage in deviant behavior without retribution. Mardi Gras Masks much like Masquerade masks were disguises that allow the mingling of classes. Today, the wearing of masks for Mardi Gras is widely practiced by all participants, allowing the wearer to transcend his or her daily life in a mass of others who are doing the same thing.

The traditional colors of Mardi Gras Purple, Green and Gold were selected in 1872 in honor of the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch Romanoff, who selected the colors. The 1893 Rex Parade theme “Symbolism of Colors” affirmed the colors’ meaning. Purple Represents Justice. Green Represents Faith. And Gold Represents Power.

Mardi Gras Masks are traditionally made from a variety of materials including: paper Mache, porcelain, leather, and metal. These masks are usually decorated with brightly colored beading, sequins and feathers. Mardi Gras masks are often made in the symbolic

colors of Mardi Gras, Purple, Green and Gold embossed with silver and gold detailing.