Dive into Cajun Mardis Gras, where the party goes down with a wholly different flourish. Everyone knows about Louisiana Mardi Gras and its glitz, glam, parades and masquerades. But in Cajun County, the festival turns communities into stage shows of wild revelry. Called Courir de Mardi Gras in the rural parishes, youll find masked runners and horsemen bedecked in colourful, tattered clothing, cavorting through the countryside on a begging quest for gumbo ingredients. Its an outrageous celebration - derived from the French medieval Festival of Begging - on the eve of Lenten seasons fasting. In exchange for neighbourly generosity, the revelers sing, dance, act a fool, chase chickens and unite the community with an abundance of mirth that reverberates year-round. Join author Dixie Poche and take part in the wild spectacle and otherworldly whimsy of Courir de Mardis Gras.