For the first time in seven years I’m living in South Louisiana for Mardi Gras. That means a lot of parades, beads and celebrating. Mardi Gras has gotten a lot more civil from my younger days. That’s due to the difference in cultures. I’m living in Lafayette, but I was born and raised in the country.
City celebrations revolve around Krewes, Ball Masques and parades with floats. Country Mardi Gras means the Courir, or “run.” The run begins around 7:00 a.m. an involves costumes, horses and hapless chickens with a very short future. The Mardi Gras riders, followed by band and beer wagons, go throughout the country asking farmhouses along the way if they would donate poultry to the Mardi Gras gumbo. A chicken is released to the crowd, most of whom are already lubricated heavily with Bud Light (yeah, 7:00 AM!), and the chase ensues.
When what’s left of the chicken is put in the bag les Mardi Gras break into a celebration of song and dance. Of course, all are costumed – check it out: http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/eunmard.htm
Anyway, our version of the parade is a bit different from New Orleans. It usually takes place around 3:00PM, and the some of the riders are probably not aware that they are even in a parade. You kinda hope they don’t throw you anything.
I’m hoping to see a bit of it this weekend, but they won’t keep me from going to the regular parades in Lafayette. Already got a bit of a bead haul going on.
Oh yeah, one thing about the parade, probably every parade, is the cadre of shopping cart vendors loaded down with every manner of kiddie bait imaginable: inflatable toys, lighted frisbees, pop guns. But my favorite was this tired, somewhat slurred voice crying out “loooooong thingies.” Had to turn around to see what a long thingie was. Here it is:
Categories: What was I thinking?
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