Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday", is traditionally the day before Ash Wednesday (the final day of Carnival). It arrived in North America in the late 17th century and began in New Orleans on March 3, 1699.
The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold as proclaimed by Rex, the first "King of Carnival" back in 1872. Purple represents justice, green stands for faith and gold stands for power (or money). Mardi Gras hs several parades. Each parade must focus on a specific subject or theme. All the floats, costumes & items thrown to the crowd revolve around that theme. Almost every Mardi Gras parade begins with a king & queen leading that parade.
The name "Carnival" comes from the Latin word carnelevare, which literally means "to lift up" or relieve from "flesh" or "meat".
