Photo Of The Day: Courier De Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras arrives on Tuesday, February 9 this year. The visuals most common are the parading Krewes in New Orleans throughout the build up to and the day of Mardi Gras.

But in other parts of Louisiana (and of course other states that celebrate Mardi Gras) the traditions are different, and downright fascinating.

In the photo above, “Costumed revelers trudge through a flooded field during the Courier de Mardi Gras, a 15-mile music and dance filled “run” through the rural bayou-land in Eunice, Louisiana. With Cajun-French music playing in the distance, courtesy of the live band being pulled by a tractor, most of the town has joined the jovial procession moving down a remote dirt road. They are play-acting at begging, a tradition rooted in the fête de la quémande (“feast of begging”) of Medieval France. The idea is to collect the ingredients for the communal gumbo (but really it’s a big party/romp/day of fun outside). The event is celebrated in Cajun communities in Louisiana on final day before Lent.

This one’s dedicated to the Louisiana folk up in our neighborhood who are missing their traditions. Laissez les bon temps rouler, Dawlins’!