Mardi Gras is an ancient custom that originated in southern Europe. It celebrates food and fun just before the 40 days of Lent: a Catholic time of prayer and sacrifice. Brought to Louisiana by the French, it evolved in New Orleans from a simple carnival event into extravagant parades of ornamented floats musical bands and ornately decorated masqueraders.
Today, big cities and small towns throughout Louisiana enjoy lively festivities at balls, parties, parades, carnival rides, street dances and more beginning as much as two weeks before "Fat Tuesday"! The rural Cajun towns of Mamou, Churchpoint and Iota celebrate with "Courir du Mardi Gras," copied directly from the old European tradition. Masked horseriders travel the country roads stopping at designated homes and farms where they perform dances and antics to win chickens, vegetables and other ingredients for a large country gumbo everyone shares at the end of the day. The "Carnival" spirit is contagious and werever you celebrate Mardi Gras in Louisiana, it is always an exciting event.