Why is the carpet always red?

Search: red carpet origin

Why: I mean at movie premieres and whatnot, not the kind of carpet that may or may not match the drapes.

Answer: It is in dispute. Of course!

At the end of the 5th Century play Agamemnon, Clytaemnestra tries to convince Agamemnon to walk across the red carpet, insisting that he deserves special recognition for his accomplishments at Troy. He doesn't want to offend the gods, but Clytie eventually convinces him.

The carpet takes him through the palace door which Clytemnestra closes behind him. It reopens some minutes later with Clytemnestra triumphantly holding an axe aloft as Agamemnon's body lies lifeless at her feet on the blood-saturated carpet.

So the red carpet masks the blood. Get it?

Then...

The Indian palace of the Mughal Empire was made of red sandstone and featured inner gardens and courtyards. When royalty went on vacay or built military tent compounds, they recreated these effects with free-standing textiles and floral rugs. The red color highlighted the emperor's tent, and the luxurious carpets both provided comfort and reminded visitors of the power and wealth of their rulers.

In 1620-something, Emperor Jahangir went to visit his brother-in-law:

To celebrate the event, his brother-in-law carpeted the road between his house and the palace with gold brocades and rich velvets, so that the royal entourage would not have to touch the ground. Today we say "Roll out the red carpet" or "the red-carpet treatment" to indicate the conferring of honor and prestige.

Then,

In 1821, the people at Prospect Hill, SC, rolled out a real red carpet to the Waccamaw River for President James Monroe.

And finally:

Passengers on the 20th Century Limited express train walked to and from the train on a plush red carpet that was rolled out in New York and Chicago.

Source: CinemaTreasures.org, Docudharma

The More You Know: Did you know they had a green carpet at the premiere of Shrek XII? That is so wacky.