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Mardi Gras Research Paper

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Mardi gras celebrated in early spring around Louisiana. Urban cities such as New Orleans and Baton Rouge have fancy parades with bright lights, celebrity kings and queens, and shiny beads. Growing up in south Louisiana, I attended many of these parades in the Big Easy. My grandparents would tell stories of rural Mardi gras and about the Cajun culture. After hearing the stories, I decided to attend the courir de Mardi gras. The courir de Mardi gras is a traditional Mardi gras event held the Tuesday before the catholic lent season. This is known as Fat Tuesday.
We arrived early on a chilly early spring morning in the small farm town known as Mamou, Louisiana. Traveling down Main Street, The brick buildings and store fronts reminded me of a typical …show more content…

The riders donned costumes of bright colored cloth. Similar to a scarecrow in the wizard of oz, the costumes consisted of pieces of cloth sewn into burlap sacks or old shirts and pants. The hats were tall and pointed looking like the dunce caps. The masks rivaled that of Halloween masks. The rowdy bunch quieted when a rider draped with a royal purple cape appeared. Capitan, as I was told, was the leader of the Mardi gras ride. He held a white flag in one hand and a whip into the other. Crack, The whip swooshed through the air making an unmistakable sound. Capitan barked out orders to the costumed riders. Dance, Beg or whatever you got to do to get ingredients for the gumbo, he yelled. As, captain mounted his horse all of the riders were yelling and whooping. In a horse drawn wagon, Musicians started playing the zydeco music once again. The riders excited started dancing some of them on top of their horses. Capitan yelled Laissez bon temps rouler and started galloping down the street. All of the riders slowly followed on top of their steeds singing and drinking. We followed along on one of the horse drawn …show more content…

We rode along on the country side. For as far as the eye could see was farm land. The majority of the crops are rice. This time of year though the farmers flood the rice fields to farm another delicacy of Cajuns, crawfish. After a short ride, we reached the first farm. It was a small quaint farm with a small white wooden house and an old wood barn. The farmer and his wife walked up to the captain and were speaking quietly. From what I was told was the captain was asking permission to come on his farm and to offer dancing for any charity. The riders waiting anticipally for the captain to wave his flag. The flag was suddenly waved and the riders raced onto the property. The farmer grabbed a chicken from his coup by the legs. He raised it in the air and released it. Several costumed riders frantically jumped off of their horses and began chasing the chicken around the farm. While this was going on, the band began to play a familiar tune. One of the costumed men asked the farmer's wife to dance as an offering for their generosity. The two were stomping and swaying her and their following the timing of the music. Other joined in the festivities. Drinking, smiling and laughing occurred, as the riders finally caught the chicken. Capitan cracked his whip and the procession moved to the next farm. This continued for most of the day. The procession made its way back to town. All

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