Courir de Mardi Gras

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Courir de Mardi Gras
(Mardi Gras Run)
Cajun
SignificanceCelebration prior to fasting season of Lent
CelebrationsRural tradition, parties
DateMardi Gras, Tuesday before Ash Wednesday
2023 dateTBA
2024 dateTBA
Frequencyannual
Related toMardi Gras

The Courir de Mardi Gras (Louisiana French pronunciation:

mummers, wassailers, and celebrants of Halloween.[1] As Mardi Gras is the celebration of the final day before Lent, celebrants drink and eat heavily, dressing in specialized costumes, ostensibly to protect their identities. In Acadiana, 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.[2] 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 series (the crime drama True Detective and the post Hurricane Katrina themed Treme) also make reference to the tradition.[3]

Origins

Medieval French peasants enjoying a meal

Barry Jean Ancelet, Cajun folklorist and retired professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has explained the origins of the Courir in rural medieval France:

In a nutshell, the country Mardi Gras comes from the way Mardi Gras was celebrated in France in the rural section as opposed to the urban carnival. It's an early springtime renewal and is essentially a way for communities to celebrate and find themselves.

— Barry Ancelet[4]

These origins are found in the customs of

dances and religious festivals such as the courir.[9] 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 la joie de vivre, that is so characteristic of Cajun life and culture in South Louisiana.[10]

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 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.[11] The imagery of the event is represented in work by local artists such as Chuck Broussard,[12] Francis Pavy,[13] and Herb Roe[14][15][16] and in the name and packaging of a locally brewed seasonal beer.[17]

The increased popularity of Cajun music and culture has also led to more nonlocal attention for the event. In 2011 the NPR show Snap Judgement did a series of interviews at one event[18] and the courir was used in a story line by David Simon for his HBO series Treme.[19][20][21][22][23] In 2014 the HBO crime drama True Detective included images of courir participants and created a cult group whose roots lay partially in the rural Mardi Gras traditions.[3][24][25]

In episode 7 of the 11th season of Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain participates in Cajun Mardi Gras.

Traditions

Chasing a chicken through a muddy field

People escape from ordinary life through the alcohol and the roles they portray in costume.

burlap whip.[29]

These whips are used to maintain discipline during the courir de Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras run.) They are used by the captain and his subordinates [co-captains] only

— Claude Durio, Co-capitaine for the Tee Mamou courir[29]

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.[29] Once they are on the property, the revelers play a variety of pranks on the farmers and beg for food[26] for the communal gumbo 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.[28]

La Chanson de Mardi Gras

The Mardi Gras song, known in the local

Bretons from the northern coast of France.[8] The tune is played in a minor mode not generally found in other Cajun music.[31]
This version is sung at the Church Point Courir de Mardi Gras:

Les Mardi Gras vient de tout partout, tout le tour du moyeu.
Vient une fois par an pour demander la charité.
Une vieille patate, une patate et des gratons.

Les Mardi Gras vient de tout partout, tout le tour du moyeu.
Vient une par an pour demander la charité.
Une vieille patate, une patate et des gratons.

Capitaine, capitaine voyage ton flag, tout le tour du moyeu.
Une fois par an pour demander la charité.
Et des patates, des patates et des gratons.

Les Mardi Gras vient de l’Angleterre, tout le tour du moyeu.
Vient une fois par an pour demander la charité.
Une vieille patate, une patate et des gratons.

— Le Chanson de Mardi Gras, in French[32]

And the same song in English:

The Mardi Gras come from everywhere around the hub.
Once each year to ask for charity.
An old potato, a potato and some cracklins.

The Mardi Gras come from everywhere around the hub.
Once each year to ask for charity.
An old potato, a potato and some cracklins.

Captain, captain wave your flag, all around the hub.
Once each year to ask for charity.
And for potatoes, for potatoes and some cracklins.

The Mardi Gras come from England, all around the hub.
Once each year to ask for charity.
And potatoes, potatoes and cracklins.

— The Song of Mardi Gras, in English[32]

A version of the song by the

Hozier.[38]

Costumes

Many of the traditional costumes are derivatives of the costumes worn in early rural France during the same celebration.

mortarboards and capuchons,[26] 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, cappa in Latin, meaning a cape or hood, that gives us cap in English and chapeau 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 (KKK), founded after the American Civil War
, 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.[39] 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.[28] The end effect is a riot of color and pattern. These costumes are also believed to have originated in medieval times.[28] The masks are made by taking ordinary wire mesh window screen 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.[4]

  • Capitane and a courir disguised as a rougarou
    Capitane and a courir disguised as a rougarou
  • A capuchon wearing Mardi Gras on horseback
    A capuchon wearing Mardi Gras on horseback
  • Mortarboard and wire mesh mask
    Mortarboard and wire mesh mask
  • A "Miter" wearing Mardi Gras dancing in a yard
    A "Miter" wearing Mardi Gras dancing in a yard

Notable Courir celebrations

Each community in the Acadiana area celebrates their take on the traditional Courir de Mardi Gras. Although there are many variations, most still practice the time honored tradition with Le Capitaine 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 Courir was suspended during World War II, but was re-established during the 1960s.[40] A provision allowing women to be a part of the Courir has been in place since the 1980s, and they are also permitted to serve as capitaines.[41] The Basile Courir de Mardi Gras have a tradition of begging for nickels (called cinq sous). 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.[40]

Choupic

The rural Mardi Gras in

fishing pole
. The Choupic Courir de Mardi Gras differs from other courirs 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

2017 Children's Courir de Mardi Gras in 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 Capitaine holds his position as leader for year after year, until he decides to relinquish it. He appoints his co-capitaines who, like himself, must not be masked. The Chanson de Mardi Gras in Church Point has its own unique lyrics.[43] The Church Point Courir 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 courir on Mardi Gras Day. Mamou won and as a result the Church Point Mardi Gras is on Sunday.[43][44][45][46]

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.[47]

Elton

Coushatta Indian Reservation and then heads south back toward Elton. Like many of the traditional courirs the ride is an all-male affair.[48]

Eunice

In Eunice 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 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.[49] The route is 13 miles (21 km) long. They stop at farms along the route and beg for gumbo ingredients and call out "Cinq-sous pour les Mardi Gras!" or "Nickels for the Mardi Gras!" If ingredients or money are given, they thank the givers of charity with a dance.[50] 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.[49]

Gheens

Gheens is located between Raceland and Lockport, Louisiana, about 30 miles (48 km) 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 ghouls riding in pickup trucks.[51] 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.[7] They chase the children to "beat the sinful stuff out of them so they can be clean for lent". 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.[52]

LeJeune Cove

LeJeune Cove is a rural community located about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Iota in Acadia Parish. 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 capuchons and handmade masks. The riders travel from farm to farm, visiting and dancing with their neighbors, begging for money and gumbo 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. In the evening, a communal gumbo and dance is held at La Pay E Bas RV Park between Iota and Eunice.

Mamou

Mamou courir in the late 1990s

In Evangeline Parish, the Mamou celebration starts with a street dance held the Monday evening before Mardi Gras, with bands such as Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys performing. A crowd favorite is the Mamou variation of the Chanson de Mardi Gras. The next day a street party begins, in anticipation of the courir, who have been riding through the countryside collecting ingredients for the evening gumbo. The Mamou Courir abides by the older traditions, with the Capitaines unmasked and all other revelers masked in the all-male troupe.[53] They are accompanied by a wagon for the musicians and trailers for participants who do not have horses.[54]

The event was suspended twice in its history, during the American Civil War and during World War Two.[53] By the mid-1940s the courir 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".[55]

Soileau

The run in Soileau, Louisiana is one of the few Creole Courir de Mardi Gras 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 not far from the Evangeline Parish, Louisiana line. They hold their run on the Monday before Mardi Gras, with its starting point at Andrew Cezar's sulky racing track. From there they head down Louisiana Highway 104.[56]

South Cameron

Two Mardi Gras "stealing" a child's bicycle at the South Cameron Courir

Traditional Mardi Gras courirs have been held in

Afghanistan war veterans. Some were displaced by the hurricanes, living in different parts of the state, and looking to bring camaraderie and tradition back to their community.[57] 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.[58] They wear traditional Cajun Mardi Gras costumes as well as modern variations. The two to three unmasked Capitaines regulate with burlap whips. A Fais do-do with live music follows the gumbo. This courir is held two weekends before Mardi Gras day, however, dates are subject to change from year to year.[59]

Tee Mamou-Iota

The longstanding tradition of the courir in the small community of Tee Mamou had waned by the late 1960s when new capitane 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.[60] The capitane and co-capitanes of Tee Mamou use a special variation of the burlap whip associated with the courir.[29] The route of the courir ends in the nearby community of Iota, Louisiana. Iota has an organized event, with Cajun and Zydeco bands playing on the main stage throughout Mardi Gras day. The highlight of the day is the arrival of the Tee Mamou courirs riding into the town in a wagon after the route through the country. The courir then gathers on the main stage with the capitaine to sing their version of the Chanson de Mardi Gras. Once this task is completed, the Mardi Gras descend on the downtown area dancing and begging for loose change.[61]

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