Mardi Gras

The Mardi Gras season is upon us, and while almost everyone if focused on New Orleans, there are lots of little celebrations happening all over the state, culminating in the traditional Cajun Mardi Gras, Les Courirs de Mardi Gras. In the traditional Mardi Gras, the townsfolk dress up in costume and go door to door in the little communities, begging chickens, foodstuffs, sausage and rice for a gumbo. Often on horseback, many times in wagons and pickup trucks, they scour the countryside, then head to town to cook the gumbo, often at the VFW hall or the Knights of Columbus hall.

En Francais:
Les Mardi Gras s'en vient de tout partout,
Tout alentour le tour du moyeu,
Ça passe une fois par an, demandé la charité,
Quand-même ça c'est une patate, une patate ou des gratons

Les Mardi Gras sont dessus un grand voyage,
Tout alentour le tour du moyeu,
Ça passe une fois par an, demandé la charité,
Quand-même ça c'est un poule maigre, ou trois ou quatre coton maïs.

Capitaine, capitaine, voyage ton flag,
Allons chez un autre voisin,
Demandé la charité pour les autres qui viennent nous rejoindre,
Les autres qui viennent nous rejoindre,
Ouais, au gombo ce soir!

It loses a little something in translation, but the basic gist of the song is:

The Mardi Gras come from all around all around the center of town They come by once per year asking for charity Sometimes its a sweet potato or pork rinds

The Mardi Gras are on a great journey all around the center of town They come by once per year asking for charity Sometimes its a skinny chicken or 3 or 4 corn cob

Captain captain wave your flag lets go to another neighbors Asking for charity for everyone who'll come join us later Everyone who'll come join us later at the gumbo tonite.

Y'all can have the big city Mardi Gras parades. I'll take the little small-town celebrations every time.