The ( ) is a traditional
Mardi Gras event held in many
Cajun
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
While Cajuns are usually described as ...
and
Creole communities of French
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
on the Tuesday before
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...
. is
Louisiana French
Louisiana French ( frc, français de la Louisiane; lou, françé la lwizyàn) is an umbrella term for the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisi ...
for "
Fat Tuesday
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for " ...
Run". This rural Mardi Gras celebration is based on early begging rituals, similar to those still celebrated by
mummer
Mummers' plays are folk plays performed by troupes of amateur actors, traditionally all male, known as mummers or guisers (also by local names such as ''rhymers'', ''pace-eggers'', ''soulers'', ''tipteerers'', ''wrenboys'', and ''galoshins''). ...
s,
wassailers, and celebrants of
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
.
As Mardi Gras is the celebration of the final day before
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
, celebrants drink and eat heavily, dressing in specialized costumes, ostensibly to protect their identities. In
Acadiana
Acadiana ( French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country (Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained mu ...
, popular practices include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, drinking alcohol, begging, trail riding, feasting, and whipping. Mardi Gras is one of the few occasions when people are allowed to publicly wear masks in Louisiana. ''Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras'', a documentary by filmmaker Pat Mire, provides great insight into the history and evolution of this cultural tradition. In popular culture, two
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series (the crime drama
''True Detective'' and the post
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
themed
''Treme'') also make reference to the tradition.
Origins
Barry Jean Ancelet
Barry Jean Ancelet (pseudonym Jean Arceneaux; born 1951) is a Cajun folklorist in Louisiana French and ethnomusicologist in Cajun music. He has written several books, and under his pseudonym Jean Arceneaux, including poetry and lyrics to songs.
...
, Cajun folklorist and retired professor at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...
, has explained the origins of the in rural medieval France:
These origins are found in the customs of
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
medieval Europe
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, specifically the ("feast of begging") of
medieval France
The Kingdom of France in the Middle Ages (roughly, from the 10th century to the middle of the 15th century) was marked by the fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and West Francia (843–987); the expansion of royal control by the House of C ...
.
[ During the ''fête'', which was a time when begging from house to house was a socially acceptable behavior, disguised revelers would go through the countryside visiting households and performing for offerings. This is similar to other contemporary traditional European customs such as ]mumming
Mummers' plays are folk plays performed by troupes of amateur actors, traditionally all male, known as mummers or guisers (also by local names such as ''rhymers'', ''pace-eggers'', ''soulers'', ''tipteerers'', ''wrenboys'', and ''galoshins''). ...
and wassailing
The tradition of wassailing (''alt sp'' wasselling) falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. The house-visiting wassail is the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a ...
which usually occur around Christmas, New Year's, and Epiphany
Epiphany may refer to:
* Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight
Religion
* Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ
** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...
. These traditions originated in a time when most of the land and money was held by the upper classes. The poor, at the end of long winters and short on food, would gather in groups and make their way from castle to manor house to beg for food from the wealthy, dancing and singing in return for the generosity of the nobles. French medieval carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
celebrations also featured contests and races, which may be the origins of the chicken chase associated with the . A few of the traditional runs have whipping and penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...
as part of their traditions. These traditions are traced to the medieval flagellants, who would hold processions through the streets whipping themselves and sometimes onlookers to beat the sin out of them.[ Other of the traditions associated with the are derived from the folk traditions of pre-Christian Celtic Europe and are associated with fertility and renewal. Examples include the use of the ]burlap
Hessian (, ), burlap in the United States and Canada, or crocus in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, is a woven fabric usually made from skin of the jute plant or sisal fibres, which may be combined with other vegetable fibres to make rope, nets, ...
whip and the tune on which the are based, both of which are traced back to Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
, a Celtic enclave on the Northwestern French coast near where the original settlers of Acadia
Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early ...
were from.[ These traditions were carried to North America by European immigrants during the 17th and 18th centuries.][ In the mid to late 18th century when the ]Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
settlers of the Canadian Maritimes were forcibly deported by the English, many made their way to South Louisiana, settling what would become known as the Acadiana
Acadiana ( French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country (Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained mu ...
region. The Cajun
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
While Cajuns are usually described as ...
s, as they would become known to the rest of the world, have held on to many of their traditional customs, including their language (Acadian French
Acadian French (french: français acadien, acadjonne) is a variety of French spoken by Acadians, mostly in the region of Acadia, Canada. Acadian French has 7 regional accents, including chiac and brayon.
Phonology
Since there was relatively li ...
became Cajun French
Louisiana French ( frc, français de la Louisiane; lou, françé la lwizyàn) is an umbrella term for the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louis ...
), music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
, dances
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its reperto ...
and religious festivals such as the . This determination to hold on to their religious customs and faith has been a major factor in creating the atmosphere that has allowed for the celebration of life, or , that is so characteristic of Cajun life and culture in South Louisiana.
Modern revival
Although the tradition never died out, during the 1930s and 1940s it had begun to fade away, especially during the World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
era as many of the young men who participated were away serving in the armed forces. During the late 1940s and early 1950s the tradition began to be revived and in the 1960s got a major boost with the "Cajun renaissance", a grassroots effort to promote the unique local food, culture, music and language of the area. In 1993, documentary filmmaker Pat Mire chronicled the tradition with his film ''Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras''. The imagery of the event is represented in work by local artists such as Chuck Broussard, Francis Pavy, and Herb Roe
Herb Roe (born 1974) is a painter of large-scale outdoor murals and classical realist oil paintings. After attending the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio for a short time, he apprenticed to mural artist Robert Dafford. After ...
and in the name and packaging of a locally brewed seasonal beer.
The increased popularity of Cajun music and culture has also led to more nonlocal attention for the event. In 2011 the NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
show Snap Judgement did a series of interviews at one event and the was used in a story line by David Simon
David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on '' The Wire'' (2002–08).
He worked for '' The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' H ...
for his HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series '' Treme''. In 2014 the HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
crime drama ''True Detective'' included images of participants and created a cult group whose roots lay partially in the rural Mardi Gras traditions.
In episode 7 of the 11th season of ''Parts Unknown'', Anthony Bourdain participates in Cajun Mardi Gras.
Traditions
People escape from ordinary life through the alcohol and the roles they portray in costume.[ In the early morning the riders or runners or ''Mardi Gras'' (as the troop and its individual members are known)] gather in a central meeting place. As they gather, (the leader of the Mardi Gras) and his co- explain the rules and traditions that must be followed. The usually rides on horseback, wears a cape and carries a small flag. After he organizes the troop, the bands begin to play and he leads them on the route. Traditions vary in each town with the way it is carried out. Some towns have people on horse back, some on trailers and some on foot, and others use a variation of all three methods. The is the first to approach the houses along the route, to ask permission to enter onto their property. At this point, in the spirit of frivolity, individual ''Mardi Gras'' will attempt to sneak onto the property. They are held in check by the , who sometimes brandish a plaited burlap
Hessian (, ), burlap in the United States and Canada, or crocus in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, is a woven fabric usually made from skin of the jute plant or sisal fibres, which may be combined with other vegetable fibres to make rope, nets, ...
whip.
The whips are designed to be flexible and not to inflict any serious damage onto their victims, but do produce a loud noise for the edification of onlookers. Participants claim one has not fully participated until one has been whipped.[ Once they are on the property, the revelers play a variety of pranks on the farmers and beg for food] for the communal gumbo
Gumbo (Louisiana Creole: Gombo) is a soup popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole "h ...
that lies at the end of the route. A prize ingredient is a live chicken, which is usually thrown into the air for the drunken ''Mardi Gras'' to chase through the muddy yards and fields.[
]
The Mardi Gras song, known in the local Cajun French
Louisiana French ( frc, français de la Louisiane; lou, françé la lwizyàn) is an umbrella term for the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louis ...
as "" and "", is a traditional tune sung by the participants, although the exact lyrics vary greatly from town to town. The melody of the traditional folk song is similar to melodies of the Bretons
The Bretons (; br, Bretoned or ''Vretoned,'' ) are a Celts, Celtic ethnic group native to Brittany. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Common Brittonic, Brittonic speakers who emigrated from Dumnonia, southwestern Great Britain, par ...
from the northern coast of France. The tune is played in a minor mode not generally found in other Cajun music
Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem w ...
. This version is sung at the Church Point :
And the same song in English:
A version of the song by the Balfa Brothers was included in the 1992 film ''Passion Fish
''Passion Fish'' is a 1992 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The film stars Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, and Angela Bassett.
It tells the story of a soap opera star, ...
''. Many other musicians have recorded versions of the song, with notable artists being Zachary Richard
Ralph Zachary Richard (born September 8, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and poet. His music is a combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles.
Biography
Zachary Richard began his musical career at the age of 8, as soprano in the Bish ...
, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are an American Cajun band from southern Louisiana. The band formed in 1988 and has since recorded 10 albums, nine of which are on Rounder Records.
The band includes Steve Riley (accordion, b. 1969), David Gre ...
, BeauSoleil
BeauSoleil (French, ''beautiful sun'') is a Cajun band from Louisiana, United States.
Band history
Founded in 1975, BeauSoleil (often billed as "BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet") released its first album in 1977 and became one of the most well ...
, Cedric Watson
Cedric Watson (born 1983) is an American musician. He has been nominated four times for Grammy Awards.
Career
Born in 1983, Cedric grew up in San Felipe, Texas surrounded by the blues, old soul, country, and zydeco music. Though hip-hop wa ...
, and Hozier.
Costumes
Many of the traditional costumes are derivatives of the costumes worn in early rural France during the same celebration.[ The costumes not only conceal the identities of the participants, but also allow them to parody authority figures and society. Role reversals can be employed such men dressing up like women or the rich to pose as the poor.] The costumes also directly mock the nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
, the clergy and the educated; celebrants wear miter hats, mortarboard
The square academic cap, graduate cap, cap, mortarboard (because of its similarity in appearance to the mortarboard used by brickmasons to hold mortar) or Oxford cap is an item of academic dress consisting of a horizontal square board fixed upo ...
s and capuchon
A capuchon is a cone-shaped ceremonial hat worn during the Mardi Gras celebration in the Cajun areas of southern Louisiana, known as the ''Courir de Mardi Gras''. The rural celebration is based on early begging rituals, similar to those still c ...
s,[ which were initially designed to mock the tall pointy hats worn by noble women. These hats are still worn, primarily by men. The name ''capuchon'' comes from the same root word, in Latin, meaning a cape or hood, that gives us ''cap'' in English and in French. Chaperon (headgear) describes the development of the word. The hats are vibrantly decorated to match (or intentionally mis-match) the colorful Mardi Gras costumes that they accompany. The capuchons worn by Mardi Gras celebrants are completely unrelated to the pointy hats worn by the ]Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
(KKK), founded after the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, and, in fact, predate the KKK costumes by several hundred years.
Originally the costumes were made from old work clothes decorated with cloth remnants and pieces of feed sack material, as many of the participants could not afford to buy material strictly for the event. This led to a patchwork style that has become associated with the costuming of the event. The shirts and pants of the costume are made by sewing together various pieces of cloth in a patchwork style. The strips of cloth are cut into fringing, and are sewn onto the sleeves, up and down the legs, and on the capuchon.[ The end effect is a riot of color and pattern. These costumes are also believed to have originated in ]medieval times
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire an ...
.[ The masks are made by taking ordinary wire mesh ]window screen
A window screen (also known as insect screen, bug screen, fly screen, flywire, wire mesh, or window net) is designed to cover the opening of a window. It is usually a mesh made of metal, fiberglass, fibreglass, plastic wire, or other pieces of ...
and attaching large protruding noses and painting on features such as eyes and mouths. The masks are almost see through, but usually not enough to discern the wearer's identity. Many costumes and masks include animal features like beaks, feathers, hair, fur or tails.[
File:Courir de Mardi Gras Savoy Rougaroo and Capitane 2011.jpg, Capitane and a disguised as a
File:Courir de Mardi Gras Horse rider with capuchon Savoy, La 2011.jpg, A capuchon wearing ''Mardi Gras'' on horseback
File:Courir de Mardi Gras Savoy mortarboard 2011.jpg, Mortarboard and wire mesh mask
File:Courir de Mardi Gras Miter hat Savoy, La 2011.jpg, A "Miter" wearing ''Mardi Gras'' dancing in a yard
]
Notable celebrations
Each community in the Acadiana
Acadiana ( French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country (Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained mu ...
area celebrates their take on the traditional . Although there are many variations, most still practice the time honored tradition with leading masked revelers on horseback to gather ingredients for making the communal gumbo. A few notable examples have gained attention as vital parts of the local Cajun culture.
Basile
In Basile the was suspended during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but was re-established during the 1960s. A provision allowing women to be a part of the has been in place since the 1980s, and they are also permitted to serve as capitaines. The Basile have a tradition of begging for nickels (called ). The participants come up to bystanders with an open palm in the traditional begging gesture, and if that does not work, they will try to dig into the pockets or clothes of the bystanders as a prank in an attempt to find the nickels.[
]
Choupic
The rural Mardi Gras in Choupic involves a ritual chasing and flogging
Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...
with willow tree
Willows are a genus of trees.
Willow Tree may refer to:
Places
* Willow Tree, New South Wales, a village in Australia
* Willow Tree railway station, in Australia
* Willow Tree (LIRR station), a railway station in New York
Entertainment
* "Wil ...
branches
A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually r ...
. Young, unmarried men from sixteen or seventeen years old up into their twenties secretly organize the run each year, and they do not disclose their participation in the run to anyone. Once a man is married, he voluntarily stops his participation in the Mardi Gras run. Traditionally, the Mardis Gras were on foot, but today some adaptations have been made, such as the use of pickup trucks and the use of three-wheelers by some participants. The Mardis Gras meet early Mardi Gras morning at Possum Square and then climb into the back of a few pickup trucks to hide. The pickup trucks carry the Mardis Gras from one residential section to another where they chase the children of the town, and make them recite Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
prayers before giving them their pre-Lenten flogging with willow tree branches or sometimes with the flexible end of a fishing pole
A fishing rod is a long, thin rod used by anglers to catch fish by manipulating a line ending in a hook (formerly known as an ''angle'', hence the term "angling"). At its most basic form, a fishing rod is a straight rigid stick/pole with a ...
. The Choupic differs from other in that it does not involve the chasing of chickens nor ritual begging nor the use of horses as a means of transportation.
Church Point
In Church Point the rural Mardi Gras is basically the same as it was in the old days of the early settlers. In 1961 Elton Richard formally organized the event, which until then had been individual, independent groups of riders. Only men are permitted to participate in the run, and all ''Mardi Gras'' must be fully masked and costumed. The holds his position as leader for year after year, until he decides to relinquish it. He appoints his co- who, like himself, must not be masked. The in Church Point has its own unique lyrics. The Church Point is held on the Sunday before Mardi Gras, a consequence of the formal organization in 1961. Elton Richard and Senator Paul Tate of Mamou flipped a coin to see who would have their official on Mardi Gras Day. Mamou won and as a result the Church Point Mardi Gras is on Sunday.[
]
Duralde
In Duralde, an unincorporated village between the towns of Mamou and Basile on the southwestern prairies of Louisiana, is one of the Creole Mardi Gras. Participants at times wear "white face", a way that the Mardi Gras runners dress as "the other" and overturn social conventions and the world for a day.
Elton
Elton, Louisiana
Elton is a town in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 992 at the 2020 census, down from 1,128 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jennings Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The wife of pioneer settler ...
is a small town in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Davis Parish (french: Paroisse de Jefferson Davis) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,594. The parish seat is Jennings. Jefferson Davis Parish is named after the presid ...
15 miles west of Eunice on U.S. Route 190
U.S. Route 190 (US 190) is an east–west United States Highway in Louisiana and Texas. Segments of US 190 will be upgraded to Interstate 14 (I-14); the first segment was opened on January 26, 2017.
Route description
, -
, TX
,
, -
, ...
. Although it was defunct for a long time, the Elton was revived in the mid-1990s. It follows the same route and its participants sing the same local variation of the as the in 1925. The ride starts at sunrise just to the north of town and goes through the Coushatta Indian Reservation and then heads south back toward Elton. Like many of the traditional the ride is an all-male affair.
Eunice
In Eunice
Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia.
Pe ...
the celebration dates from when the town was first established in the late 19th century. It was abandoned for a short time during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
when many of the local young men were in the army, but was restarted in 1946. The roughly 2000 participants, both male and female, assemble at the National Guard Armory at the corner of South 9th Street and Maple Avenue at 6 am, and start the run 8 am. The route is long. They stop at farms along the route and beg for gumbo ingredients and call out "" or "Nickels for the Mardi Gras!" If ingredients or money are given, they thank the givers of charity with a dance. By 3:00 p.m. the revelers return to town for a parade along Second Street. In 1997 a new addition was added to the festivities, the baking of the world's largest king cake
A king cake, also known as a three kings cake, is a cake associated in many countries with Epiphany. Its form and ingredients are variable, but in most cases a () such as a figurine, often said to represent the Christ Child, is hidden insid ...
.[
]
Gheens
Gheens is located between Raceland and Lockport, Louisiana
Lockport is a town on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,490 in 2020. It is part of the Houma– Bayou Cane–Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area.
History
Lockport, founded in 1835, ...
, about from New Orleans. Every year during their Cajun Mardi Gras Chase 20,000 people flock to the town of less than 1000 people for the event. Unlike other Cajun Mardi Gras celebrations, the Gheens event features teenaged boys and men dressed as ghoul
A ghoul ( ar, غول, ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid. The concept originated in pre-Islamic Arabian religion, associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. Modern fiction often uses the term to label a cert ...
s riding in pickup trucks. After the morning parades the group meets behind the local church, where costumes are donned and the ground rules are laid out by the veteran runners to the newly initiated. Each of the newcomers must line up and be given a swat by each of the veterans with the yard long willow branches so they know how bad the switches can hurt if over used. The runners are given bells to pin on their clothing. They then load up into their trucks and attack the town with their willow switches, searching for children.[ They chase the children to "beat the sinful stuff out of them so they can be clean for ]lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
". Their young victims have the choice to either fall to their knees in a penitent position and say "Pardon! Pardon!" or make the ''Mardi Gras'' chase them, often taunting and daring them to catch and beat them more.
LeJeune Cove
LeJeune Cove is a rural community located about north of Iota
Iota (; uppercase: Ι, lowercase: ι; ) is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh. Letters that arose from this letter include the Latin alphabet, Latin I and J, the Cyrillic І (І, і), Yi (Cy ...
in Acadia Parish
Acadia Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de l'Acadie) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 57,576. The parish seat is Crowley. The parish was founded from parts of St. Landry Parish in ...
. According to the account published in the ''Crowley Post Signal'' on 27 January 2002, the run dates from the earliest days of the L'Anse LeJeune settlement until it disbanded in the 1950s. The LeJeune Cove Mardi Gras was then revived in 2002 after a lapse of approximately 50 years. All male riders on horseback and wagons wear traditional costumes with capuchon
A capuchon is a cone-shaped ceremonial hat worn during the Mardi Gras celebration in the Cajun areas of southern Louisiana, known as the ''Courir de Mardi Gras''. The rural celebration is based on early begging rituals, similar to those still c ...
s and handmade masks. The riders travel from farm to farm, visiting and dancing with their neighbors, begging for money and gumbo
Gumbo (Louisiana Creole: Gombo) is a soup popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole "h ...
ingredients while singing their unique Mardi Gras song, all just as they had done prior to disbandment. The run is now held annually on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for " ...
. In the evening, a communal gumbo
Gumbo (Louisiana Creole: Gombo) is a soup popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish (or sometimes both), a thickener, and the Creole "h ...
and dance is held at La Pay E Bas RV Park between Iota
Iota (; uppercase: Ι, lowercase: ι; ) is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh. Letters that arose from this letter include the Latin alphabet, Latin I and J, the Cyrillic І (І, і), Yi (Cy ...
and Eunice
Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia.
Pe ...
.
Mamou
In Evangeline Parish
Evangeline Parish (french: Paroisse d'Évangéline) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,984. The parish seat is Ville Platte.
History
The parish was created out of lands formerly be ...
, the Mamou
Mamou (Pular: 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤥𞤵𞤲) is a city and sub-prefecture in a valley of the Fouta Djallon area of Guinea. Population 376,269 (2018 est),and the city is almost 98% Fulani tribe. Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are an American Cajun band from southern Louisiana. The band formed in 1988 and has since recorded 10 albums, nine of which are on Rounder Records.
The band includes Steve Riley (accordion, b. 1969), David Gre ...
performing. A crowd favorite is the Mamou variation of the . The next day a street party begins, in anticipation of the , who have been riding through the countryside collecting ingredients for the evening gumbo. The Mamou abides by the older traditions, with the unmasked and all other revelers masked in the all-male troupe. They are accompanied by a wagon for the musicians and trailers for participants who do not have horses.
The event was suspended twice in its history, during the American Civil War and during World War Two.[ By the mid-1940s the tradition in Mamou had declined but was revived by Alfred "Fred" Tate, Revon Reed, and Paul Tate, proprietors of the then newly opened " Fred's Lounge".
]
Soileau
The run in Soileau, Louisiana is one of the few Creole in southwest Louisiana, and is thought to be just as old as the Cajun versions. The rural community of Soileau is located to the west of Duralde in Allen Parish, Louisiana
Allen Parish (french: Paroisse d'Allen) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,764. The parish seat is Oberlin and the largest city is Oakdale. Allen Parish is in southwestern Louisia ...
not far from the Evangeline Parish, Louisiana
Evangeline Parish (french: Paroisse d'Évangéline) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,984. The parish seat is Ville Platte.
History
The parish was created out of lands formerly be ...
line. They hold their run on the Monday before Mardi Gras, with its starting point at Andrew Cezar's sulky
A sulky is a lightweight cart with two wheels and a seat for the driver, generally pulled by horses or dogs. With horses, a sulky is used for harness racing. The term is also used for an arch-mounted cart on wheels or crawler tracks, used i ...
racing track. From there they head down Louisiana Highway 104.
South Cameron
Traditional Mardi Gras have been held in Creole and Grand Chenier, small towns in southern Cameron Parish, since the beginning of the 20th century. This region of Southwest Louisiana
Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) is a five-parish area intersecting the Acadiana and Central Louisiana regions in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is composed of the following parishes (counties): Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Dav ...
has been plagued by multiple hurricanes
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
throughout the years, including total destruction by Hurricanes Audrey
Audrey () is an English feminine given name. It is the Anglo-Norman form of the Anglo-Saxon name ''Æðelþryð'', composed of the elements '' æðel'' "noble" and ''þryð'' "strength". The Anglo-Norman form of the name was applied to Saint Aud ...
, Rita
Rita may refer to:
People
* Rita (given name)
* Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984)
* Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962)
* Rita (Japanese singer)
* Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita
Places
* Djarrit, also known as Rita, ...
, and Ike
Ike or IKE may refer to:
People
* Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname
...
. As a result, Mardi Gras celebrations had been defunct for over a decade. The was revived in 2014 by a group of Cameron Parish natives. The group mainly consisted of young men who were Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
war veterans. Some were displaced by the hurricanes, living in different parts of the state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
, and looking to bring camaraderie and tradition back to their community. The Mardi Gras ride throughout the countryside in cattle trailers pulled by pickup trucks. Men and women ride together. The Mardi Gras stop at multiple houses and business in and around the towns of Creole and Grand Chenier to dance, drink, play tricks, chase chickens, and gather ingredients for their communal gumbo that night. They wear traditional Cajun Mardi Gras costumes as well as modern variations. The two to three unmasked regulate with burlap whips. A Fais do-do
A ''fais do-do'' is a Cajun dance party; the term originated before World War II.
History
According to Mark Humphrey, the parties were named for "the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants."Notes from the Roots n' B ...
with live music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
follows the gumbo. This is held two weekends before Mardi Gras day, however, dates are subject to change from year to year.
Tee Mamou-Iota
The longstanding tradition of the in the small community of Tee Mamou had waned by the late 1960s when new was instrumental in preserving the tradition. An all-women's group was established a few years later. The women's group does their run on Saturday before Mardi Gras and the men's run is on Mardi Gras day. The and co- of Tee Mamou use a special variation of the burlap whip associated with the .[ The route of the ends in the nearby community of ]Iota, Louisiana
Iota is a town in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. The population was 1,304 in 2020. Iota is part of the Crowley Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The history of Iota is identified with Pointe-aux-Loups (French for Wolf Point), one of the oldes ...
. Iota has an organized event, with Cajun
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
While Cajuns are usually described as ...
and Zydeco
Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...
bands playing on the main stage throughout Mardi Gras day. The highlight of the day is the arrival of the Tee Mamou riding into the town in a wagon after the route through the country. The then gathers on the main stage with the to sing their version of the . Once this task is completed, the Mardi Gras descend on the downtown area dancing and begging for loose change.
References
External links
Balfa Brothers – La Dance Des Mardi Gras
Courir de Mardi Gras in Mamou, La 2010
Rural Mardi Gras – Tee-Mamou
Rural Mardi Gras : Iota, Louisiana
NPR's Snap Judgement:Courir de Mardi Gras
Lejeune Cove
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courir De Mardi Gras
Cajun culture
Acadiana
Mardi Gras
February events
March events
Music festivals in Louisiana
American folklore