Revelers, wear your Mardi Gras colors! This cockade is approximately 3" (7.5 cm) across and has a silver-plated pin back.

Mardi Gras has a long and ancient history. However, 1872 was the year that a group of businessmen invited a King of Carnival, Rex, to preside over the first daytime parade in New Orleans. To honor the visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff, the businessmen introduced Romanoff's family colors of purple, green and gold as Carnival's official colors.

Purple stands for justice; gold for power; and green for faith. This was also the Mardi Gras season that Carnival's improbable anthem, "If Ever I Cease to Love," was cemented, due in part to the Duke's fondness for the tune. In 1875, Governor Warmoth signed the "Mardi Gras Act," making Fat Tuesday a legal holiday in Louisiana, which it still is. - http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history.html