New Orleans Photojournalist and Editorial Photographer Edmund D. Fountain - Cajun Mardi Gras
Eunice, Louisiana - The Louisiana tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras is prevalent in the Cajun areas of Southern Louisiana. participants go from house to house in rural communities on Fat Tuesday to beg for ingredients which are used to make a communal gumbo. The costumes were originally designed to poke fun at the French aristocracy. The most prized ingredient is a live chicken. It is tossed to the group of costumed revelers, and a mad dash to catch it ensues.