In Rex’s 1892 color symbolism, gold represents power.
Rex’s traditional Carnival colors are purple, green, and gold, and the organization assigned them the meanings justice, faith, and power respectively. Gold is therefore linked with power, not charity, faith, or justice.
The colors were first specified in Rex proclamations during the lead-up to the organization’s inaugural parade in 1872, although their original selection may have been primarily aesthetic. After a color-themed Rex parade in 1892, the symbolism became formalized and widely associated with New Orleans Mardi Gras.
The meanings are commonly remembered in the order purple, green, and gold: purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. This is why gold appears so prominently in Carnival decorations, costumes, flags, beads, doubloons, and parade designs.
A frequent mistake is assigning faith to gold because gold has religious associations in other traditions. In Rex’s specific Mardi Gras symbolism, however, faith belongs to green. The colors are Rex traditions rather than a universal code for every Carnival celebration.