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Mardi Gras is the perfect reason to celebrate during a season that is typically cold, dreary, and depressing. That’s especially the case in 2021 as we have been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic for a long time.
Whether you’re planning a small get-together, you’re looking for a way to have a little fun at home during the pandemic, or social distancing guidelines have relaxed and you’re ready to throw a big party, there are many ways you can celebrate Mardi Gras. Just make sure you get the decorations right first!
Use Purple, Green, and Gold
It is important to decorate with purple, green, and gold for Mardi Gras, as these are the colors that have traditionally been associated with this event, even if we aren’t positive why those exact colors were chosen.
If you decorate with any other colors, your home will look beautiful, but it won’t look like it was decorated for a Mardi Gras celebration. As you’re reading the other tips on this list and dreaming up fun ways to decorate your home, make sure whatever you buy is one or more of these three colors.
Hang Wreaths on the Doors and Windows
Wreaths are a great way to decorate because they can be customized for any holiday, occasion, or season. Buy or make a wreath for Mardi Gras with glittery ribbon, beads, doubloons, swags, baubles, and more. When you’re done, hang it on the front door to let others know that you’re celebrating Fat Tuesday at home.
Mardi Gras is all about being loud and proud, so one measly little wreath isn’t going to do it! Hang a wreath on your front door, but you should hang wreaths on other doors. Hang purple, gold, and green wreaths on your windows too.
Don’t think you have to drop hundreds of dollars on custom Mardi Gras wreaths! There are many materials you can purchase at dollar stores, and with online tutorials, you can whip up multiple wreaths in no time.
Decorate With Masks
Mardi Gras masks are a great addition to the festivities. They were traditionally worn by those celebrating and were meant to protect everyone’s identity. They are still used for that same purpose today, as is the case when it comes to Mardi Gras party organizers called “Krewes”.
Wearing a mask on Mardi Gras can be a lot of fun, but don’t think masks are just for wearing. They make great party décor too!
Masks can be hung just about anywhere. They look great when added to wreaths and swags, and they can be placed on tables to enhance a centerpiece. Large decorative masks can be hung on the wall and they look especially striking when hung above a mantle or a large couch.
Add Harlequin Patterns to Your Décor
Harlequin print was once quite popular. That’s not the case today, but it remains a popular pattern for Mardi Gras, thanks to its association with mischievous clowns who originally wore this print centuries ago.
Because it’s a popular pattern for Mardi Gras, you can easily find swatches of fabric in this pattern that feature purple, green, and gold. Just a few ways you can incorporate this pattern into your decorations include:
- Using a tablecloth on your dining room table
- Hanging it on the walls
- Placing throw blankets on the couch
- Creating pillows to adorn furniture
Another fun use for this pattern is to create a backdrop that can be used as a photo booth. Even if you are celebrating alone or with just a few other people, it would be a lot of fun to take pictures with masks and other items in front of the backdrop and post them on social media.
Hang Some Flags
Although there are a lot of rules surrounding how to display the American flag, the same is not true of decorative flags. They can be flown on flag poles like traditional flags, but smaller flags can also be staked into the ground, they can be draped on porch railing, and they can be hung on walls.
Hang flags with Mardi Gras decorations both inside and outside. Hand flags can line driveways, fan bunting can be draped from the railings on your porch and stairway, and large banners can be hung on the wall. You can even get creative and hang a flag as a shower curtain in the bathroom or use it as a decorative bedspread.
Decorate With Feathers
Feathers are another popular way to decorate for Mardi Gras! As is the case with all the other décor ideas on this list, it is important that they are purple, green, and gold so people know right away that they are being used to decorate a Mardi Gras celebration.
Feathers can be used almost anywhere, and the more creative, the better! A few ideas include:
- Gluing feathers on masks
- Scattering feathers as décor on tables
- Gluing them to the edges of umbrellas
- Incorporating them into garlands
More Beads!
You can’t have a Mardi Gras celebration without beads! Traditionally, that meant having them thrown to you by those on parade floats, but today you can purchase as many Mardi Gras beads as you want.
By all means, wear some of those beads, but make sure you buy plenty so you can decorate with them too. They can be scattered on mantles, thrown on tables, hung from chandeliers, and even hung from the branches of trees. Place some strings of beads inside vases that can be set on tables, hang them from fan blades, and incorporate them into wreaths, garlands, and more. There isn’t anywhere Mardi Gras beads can’t go!
It doesn’t matter if you’re having a big blowout party or not. It’s still fun to celebrate Mardi Gras! Bake a kings cake, listen to jazz, and sip on a good cocktail. Just make sure you decorate your home so you feel like you’re in the French Quarter, even if you are many miles away.