Mardi Gras is a wild and wonderful celebration of extravagance with participants around the world. One of the most famous celebrations happens in New Orleans, and the colorful beads thrown from floats are often the highlight of this celebration.
Although the Mardi Gras celebration has been in New Orleans since 1837, the tradition of throwing beads didn’t exist until the 1920s. This was when the Rex parade began throwing inexpensive, handmade glass bead necklaces into the crowds. From this simple act the tradition was born.
Traditional Mardi Gras colors are purple, green and gold, with each color holding a special meaning. The purple means justice, the green exemplifies faith and the gold represents power. With the changing times and growing popularity of this holiday, Mardi Gras beads now come in every color imaginable.
You can get ready for the celebration with this fun earring and bracelet set. With a bright palette and fun charms, you’ll be the life of the party when you wear the perfect accessories. Learn how to make Mardi Gras Earrings and a Mardi Gras Bracelet you will be proud to show off with our free instructions available in the Learning Center.
Want to win your own collection of Mardi Gras jewelry supplies? Enter our one-day Mardi Gras contest for your chance to win! Since Mardi Gras is all about excessiveness and lavish celebration, our prize package includes rich sterling silver and gold vermeil charms, as well as some limited edition bead strands. All of these components are presented in a beautiful purple organza bag, tied off with green and gold satin ribbon. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling us how to intend to celebrate Mardi Gras. Hurry! This contest will end tonight at 11:59PM PST. We will randomly choose one winner and announce the winner tomorrow.
This prize package is valued at approximately $50 and contest is open to US and Canada residents only excluding Quebec. One entry per person; must be 18 or older to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries. Void where prohibited by law. Winner will be contacted via e-mail. No purchase necessary.
-Marissa
Well, we’ve been to a couple parades thus far this year. We absolutely LOVE Mardi Gras, b.ut this year I have my two boys (son and husband) on crutches, so we’ll be relaxing at home. Any day with my boys and my beads is a fabulous day though : )
How fun!!! I luv beads!!!
I too will be beading.. and enjoying every minute of it.
Celebrating by wearing my bead jewelry and making some for the daughters to wear!…
Claying and watching on TV.
Heading out now for some beers, good food and the free show that comes with giving away beads
had a wonderful totally unexpected Fat Tuesday celebration with my cajun girlfriend, whom I had not seen in 20 years, unexpectedly came to town! Went to dinner, drank Hurricanes, & had baby(less) cake. Best Mardi Gras ever for me!
Celebrating lunch with my daughter
Lucky to be in La Pa z, Baja California Sur, Mexico, for CARNAVALE 2012, wonderful parade, LOTS of noise, laughter, beads and candy thrown from the floats; some fun shopping, and LOTS of people-watching and MASK ‘drooling’! Even a lil vino to kick off Lent…ohh, my aching feet!! MAYBE YOU’ll be here, next year! HUGS!
Ummm… I watched Glee.
Making jewelry of course!
As a Southern Belle from New Orleans now living in California I celebrated Mardi Gras eating a homemade king cake, hanging up all my fleur-de-lis, and dancing the second line!
Well, this didn’t get posted to my news feed until it was too late, but I’m going to respond anyway. I spent the evening learning how to do a new stitch and making a necklace for my niece. ^_^
Today is not only Mardi Gras but also my birthday! I will be spending the afternoon with my Mom, then ordering Chinese for dinner.
I plan on spending Mardi Gras by of course acquiring more beads-BUT I am going against tradition and keeping my shirt on…LOL I am going Bead Shopping Tomorrow and then we are going to have King cake! 🙂
I am planning the class I will be teaching on wire wrapping on Friday.