February 21st is “Fat Tuesday” – the last day of the Mardi Gras celebration! Some of the most timeless traditions associated with Mardi Gras are the parades. These parades date back to the 1820′s, but the introduction of the strands of beads, which we now associate with the celebration, didn’t happen until the 1920′s. Can you imagine 100 years of Mardi Gras without the beads?! We have the Rex Parade to thank for beginning the tradition of tossing beads to parade watchers. The first beads used were actually strands of Czech-made glass beads. The beads were so popular that within a few years, inexpensive, mass-produced plastic beads were being manufactured to keep up with demand. Although these beads can be found in many different colors, the most predominant, and widely recognizable, are purple, green and gold, which are meant to represent justice, faith and power. In a retro-inspired twist, glass beads are again becoming a popular throw during Mardi Gras parades. When the crowds cry “Throw me something Mister!” there are more and more limited-edition, intricate and specially designed beads being thrown, along with handfuls of the plastic ones. These newer versions, along with the original Czech glass beads, are highly collectible!
WIN THESE BEADS! All you have to do is leave a comment below to be entered in our contest, and if you blog about our contest you’ll receive 2 entries (be sure to comment with a link to your blog). On the evening of February 24th we’ll draw a name and the winner will receive all the beads which are pictured below. Good luck and thanks for playing!
wow–cool mix! I’d love to win them.
These are beautiful colors!
Love your beads!
Love, love, love
Oooh – pretty! Love the green/gold swirl beads
I can’t wait for Mardi Gras! It would be lovely to be able to make some treats with these beautiful beads
These are y favouite colours. I would love to work with them.
I love the fishy ones… I really need these by Saturday now that I think about it…. must start on something fabulous…
Beautiful bead mix, as always!
lovely colours, which makes you think of Mardi Gras celebration! would be great to win, would then have a remind.
I love these beads. Their colouring is perfect! I think of Mardi Gras parade! I would love to make something with these!
Yummy colors! I could dive right in! Looks like my kind of playground!
I love the different shapes and colors!
The healthy, creative way to celebrate Mardi Gras:). I like it!
Blogged here: http://lpsjewelry.blogspot.com/2012/02/happy-mango-mardi-gras-contest.html bless you happy mango for all the fun interaction…. LOVE ME SOME HAPPY MANGO!!!
Mango Beads has such a great variety!
I love Mardi Gras and beads!
I have live in south Louisiana my whole life and I cannot imagine my life without Mardi Gras!
The color of the beads bring back wonderful memories when we visited New Orleans ten years ago.
I grew up in south Louisiana and went to Mardi Gras in costume every year as a child. Now I live up north but i still have many of the lovely old Czech glass beads i caught back in the 60s, and my heart is still in New Orleans at this time of year. I think Mardi Gras is responsible for my love of beads and beading. I hope these wonderful beads end up with me!
Mardi Gras has such a wonderful color mix. Luv the variety of bead colors and shapes!
Oooh, I could do all kinds of neat things with these! Hope I win, hope I win, hope I win.
would love to win…but beads were part of Mardi Gras before parades, just they were Rosary Beads and given to help those that celebrated Lent with their prayers for the next season in the church calendar and they weren’t thrown
Great Stuff…
Great Energy!!!
Ase Ase Ase
Thank you so much for the history of the Mardi Gras beads, I had never heard that before! Love the bead selection, I hope I win. Actually I love all the beads from Happy Mango, I just received a shipment tonight of pewter beads and the quality is EXCELLENT! Thanks.
I can only imagine wearing these georgeous beads would make me feel like I was right in the mix of “FAT TUESDAY” for sure !!!!!!!
Wow that collection of beads is amazing
The little fishies are so cute.
It’s as if Happy Mango Beads (and apparently Mardi Gras) have been reading my mail, or more precisely, rummaging through my boxes of finished pieces. Green and purple is my most favorite color combo. Just looking at the photo brings joy.
Well, throw me something Mister! Really love bead traditions and getting to hear the story behind them.
Love these colors!! Thanks for the opportunity to win these beauties!
I love the purples and greens together! Great combination!
Oh my, Oh my, lovely beads. Would love to win these!!!
Wow! What a beautiful collection of beads!
Very nice arrangement. Great colors
I love this bead mix! My favorite color is purple, which goes nicely with the green and gold beads.
Great color combination. Would be great to win.
LOVE the colors together!
Beautiful mix of colors, and generous of you to share free beads with one of us addicts. . . er, creative beaders!
I blogged about your contest at http://emobeads.blogspot.com/!
LUV THEM
Love the more detailed ones
Wow!
I have the perfect Mardi Gras face Pendant that I’m working on…If I win I promise to take a picure of my Sotocap Pendant with these lovely beads as their adornment.
Check out my site and you will see what beauties that can be found in recycled bottle caps,
I create eco-friendly jewelry with a twist, my real bottle caps are double side.
Looking at my Art you might not realize that I use real bottle caps as my base pendant. An Original Design created by me.
All my favorite colors!
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
I wold love to win – the colors are so rich and wonderful!
Wow is right! Purple, green and gold…my favorites! Totally awesome…I can see something already…..
i must say, these beads look fab. i have loved all the beads i have gotten from happy mango beads. as a painter, the immediacy of beading has become an addiction. i am so happy to see all the world beads to expand my palette. bead on, artists!
This looks like an awesome mix of beads! Thanks for a chance to win!
I love the colors of these beads. They remind me of spring time.
http://site.tondadesigns.com/blog
Gorgeous selection and assortment of beads to put to use in some funky projects. It is enjoyable to also get some historical info regarding Mardi Gras and its traditions. Thank you for this great opportunity!
This mix has a great combination of colors. It’s absolutely beautiful!
Happy Mango, I love how you interact with people. how you give back to your customers & artisans by having contests etc, and showcasing their work. Thank you for this bit of History Of Beads in regards to the Mardi Gras. Keep up the great work you guys do.
wow, these are beautiful!
What a great color palette! These are the colors I will be painting my living room/entry way and it’s nice to see them together.
Ooooh! Green fishies and swirly beads! I’ve got my fingers crossed to win these beads.
What a pretty mix of color!!
I’ve always loved these colors together!
Gorgeous mix of beads! Would love to win them!
Beautifully colored beads! Thank you for having a contest!
Happy Mango Beads make me very very HAPPY…LOVE the Mardi Gras Mix….whoo hooo xo, Audrey
The vibrant colors remind me of spring flowers. Would love to create jewelry with these beads.
I would LOVE to win these!!!
Had an error in my email address—
Would love to win these!
It is so much fun to be in New Orleans—even if it isn’t Mardi Gras. Year round you can find strings of beads hanging from the trees or just laying on the ground. What fun it would be to have these “retro” beads to throw around your neck/
Oh my gosh! These incredibly beautiful!!! Crossing all of my fingers and toes that I win!!!
Love, love, love this bead mix!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frog-Cottage-Jewelry/115257691853191
These are incredibly beautiful and in my favorite color combination!! OMG, I’m hoping hoping hoping!!
I love the fish beads =)
These beads are my favorite colours.
What lovely beads. It would be fun to create beautiful jewelry with them.
And posted to my blog:
http://beaddragons.blogspot.com/2012/02/tis-season-for-gifting.html
Thanks for a chance to win these gorgeous beads!
Purples, greens are my favorite colors…..what a thrill it would be for me to win these beads to celebrate my birthday 3rd of March…………I already see some wonderful items to make.
I’m inspired already! Great selection! Would love to win. I really appreciate the opportunity to win this incredible set of beads.
great Mardi Gras colors!
I love these colors. They look like Easter. I would love to win and I have added the information to my blog
http://lindysdesigns.blogspot.com/
Very pretty bead mix! Reminds me of warm weather.
Love the colors, who wouldn’t?
Love the variety, who wouldn’t?
Love to win, who wouldn’t?
I would!
Those are my colors! I would love to play with them and create something fun!
Wish there was a Mardi Gras parade in my town! love the beads–
May the breast beader win!!! The beads are beautiful. Nice selection “Happy Mango”. You guys are the best!
So pretty! I already feel inspired to create!
Très belle harmonie de couleurs et de matières.
J’aimerais bien les gagner, même si je parle le français.
Bien cordialement. Fine.
wouahhhhhhhhhhhhhh j’adore
on aimerait les fixer ainsi
et même les gagner
croisons les doigts
This beads would look fabulous arranged into my Mardi Gras handbag! You are sure to get noticed while in the New Orlean’s Second Line with these beads.
These beads are inspirational. I like the fishies and have a necklace in mind.
Would love to win these gorgeous beads!
Beautiful beads, would love to win them!
Mardi Gras, went there in my younger years don’t remember much think it was because of the hurricanes at Pat O’Brains. But I do remember lot’s of good food, good people and lot’s and lot’s of BEADS!!!
I love the colour combinations anyway, but knowing there is history behind them makes them even more special and having these beads would inspire an appropriate design!
beautiful! please enter me in this contest
I love the colors
Woot for beads!
love this mix of beads! would love to have for my collection and to make something awesome! especially love the fish!
happy fat tuesday
I can already see the finished results of these beautiful beads ……………I would be so happy to win these beads
Beautiful beads! I’d love to win them!!
OOOO, so pretty!
would love to make something with these…Thank you,
These Mardi Gras beads rock! Check out my website where I mention the contest http://www.michellezive.com.
Very gorgeous mix, I’d love to win them
Just love purple! Can just imagine what I’d do with these lovelies.
Would love to put these to work in some of my new designs coming up.
Mouse Works is my page on Facebook
Beautiful beads!
Would LOVE to win these beads, just the thing I need, to bring a
to my face.
Thank you for the chance, Love all the great people at the Mango’s!
Nice bead mix – I’d love to win!
Gorgeous beads! And I’ve learnt something about your Mardi Gras. These beads would be perfect for Sydney Mardi Gras!
I love these beads and would love to win them. They would brighten up our blustery days in Ohio.
Pleeeeaaaase let me win!
Laissez le bon temps roulette! (Cajun saying meaning “Let the good times roll”).
In the spirit of ‘going green’ i am always saddened by plastic anything. I would love to have Mardi Gras beads be biodegradable. And as far as going back to glass beads, I wonder if anyone would know what they are and to keep them. Only the women with plastic boobs should get plastic beads! Or no beads! Beads not Boobs!
Just venting, of course, I do love my gemstone beads and SS findings!!!!
Love Mardi GRAS! These beads are awesome!
The colors are gorgeous. I would love to win the beads. I also blogged about the giveaway here: http://carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com/2012/02/mardi-gras-beads-giveaway-from-happy.html
Thanks for sponsoring this giveaway
Carolyn
carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
I never thought I would want to attend Mardi Gras before, until now. If I had know they threw real glass beads, I would have been there a long time ago. Thanks for this contest. It brightened my day.
Oh, these are lovely and fun Mardis Gras beads! I’d be thrilled to win them! I’ve written about your contest on my blog:
http://affirmingcreativity-blog.blogspot.com/2012/02/mardis-gras.html
Thanks so much!
I love Czech beads. Great giveaway.