Photo courtesy of Le Vieux Mardi Gras de Cajuns de Eunice LA Facebook Page
Who is he? Capitaine of the Eunice, Louisiana Mardi Gras run, Pat Frey, is 54 years old and has been proud to hold his Captain position for almost 20 years now. “I first started running Mardi Gras when I was 15, around 1980 or so. When I first started, there were only a handful of people,” he says before explaining that there are now around 700 participants in the Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras. This large number of participants includes both male and female. “Traditionally, only the men were allowed to run but as the times changed, so did our run, and I don’t regret that change,” Pat says. Many of the towns surrounding Eunice still only allow men to run. Moving on, he explains the history of Eunice Mardi Gras and the facts of its origin as far back as the towns’ first establishment in the late 19th century. He also explains that it hasn’t always stuck around so faithfully. “The Courir was abandoned for a few years during World War II, but in 1946, a small band of riders revived the tradition,” he shares.
The Process At this point, he begins to explain the process of the entire day. He starts by stating that the Mardi Gras participants wind through the countryside on horseback, riding in trailers and walking. He talks about the 16 mile Courir, including the parade at the end, “when we come back into town after being out all day chasing chickens and having a good time being mischievous with the people we come across,” he says. Throughout the day, there are several chicken throws. During these throws, the Capitane or a co-captain will throw a chicken from the back of their horse and watch as the Mardi Gras all chase it around until eventually, someone catches it. “Used to, the owner of the house would throw a chicken, but that has had to change with the times,” he says, reminiscing on the way the traditions were celebrated in the past.
Lunch Break He speaks next about the boudin lunch that the Mardi Gras enjoy along the route, then the parade and dance downtown on Second Street. When asked how the run has changed in recent years and why it has had to become modernized, he explained that it is much harder to maintain such a large group as the ones seen more and more each year. “With 700 plus runners, that’s impossible to catch that many chickens to feed everyone at the end of the run,” he explains. He says that there is now a specific crew that stays back at the starting point of the run and cooks the gumbo for everyone. Because of this, instead of going house to house and begging like they did in the past, the captains of the run bring the chickens to throw themselves. “Sometimes, along the run, a homeowner will still give us a chicken, a bag of rice and even some beans and money,” he says, to express that there is still some maintenance of tradition carried out. “Most homeowners don’t allow the Mardi Gras on their property for fear of a lawsuit. Times have changed. We would have never thought to do that back in the day but, well, it’s the times you know,” he says.
Modernization His sentence about the changing times and traditions is one that is repeated a number of times throughout. It is something that he outwardly expresses having mixed emotions about. On the one hand, it is nice to see the community coming together and celebrating this day, but on another, it can easily take away some of the meaning behind the traditions and turn into younger generations just coming out to drink and have a good time with no real understanding of traditions. Because there are so many people who are now involved, planning has to begin two months in advance. Frey explains next all of the permits that have to be acquired in order for the event to run smoothly. Some of them include: beer permit, port-a-let permit, trail ride permit, etc. The association has to run a notice in the newspaper that tells everyone that a run is going to take place. “Everything costs money. Everyone has to get a small piece of the pie,” he says, before explaining that the Eunice Mardi Gras Association is also responsible for the cost of security. There must be two police officers for every 100 Mardi Gras. “That one day costs about $19,000 to put on. People don’t realize what it takes. It’s not like it used to be,” Pat repeats. “In recent years, we’ve noticed a few, 100 or so, of our Mardi Gras who just want to come out and, well, let’s say it, get drunk. They don’t even know why we run Mardi Gras, no idea,” he says. He is upset about the fact that these 100 or so Mardi Gras come out, in partial costume, drink too much, and often cause some trouble along the way. “People who come out to see Mardi Gras want to see real Mardi Gras, not some drunks wearing part of a costume,” says Frey. When asked if this will lead to even more changes in the future to the way things are run, he explains that there will be new rules implemented in the 2021 Courir.
“I know they’re tired of rules, but it’s the only way we have to try and keep our traditional roots,” says Pat. He expresses that the Association’s main goal is to have everyone participating in full costume. He clarifies that by full costume, he means both traditional and non-traditional. By this, he means that it can be anything from a fringed top and pants with a Capuchin and the traditional screen mask to a gorilla suit or a trash bag (this has been seen before). “It’s all about being in disguise. No one is supposed to know who you are. When I started running at 15, I dressed like an old man with an old man’s mask,” Frey recalls. He expects a bit of backlash from this as he explains that he is aware people will be upset at registration next year, but the whole purpose is to get back to the roots of a traditional Mardi Gras. He also says that there were 50 plus trailers in the run this year and that next year, that number will be cut back to a total of 25.
Music The next issue he addresses is the music that is played from these trailers. He says even though the truck drivers who are pulling these trailers are told to only play French, Country and Zydeco, they still play what Pat describes as “that junk music.” He continues, “No one wants to hear that on a run. So, in 2021, any truck or trailer caught playing anything other than the accepted music will be evicted from the run. No exceptions, no refunds." The main thing that Frey, along with the rest of the members of the Association, want people to realize is that if they continue to allow runners to dress in unacceptable, half costumes, they are also allowing the traditions to be watered down. “This is Mardi Gras, not a trail ride. There’s nothing too fancy about our Mardi Gras,” he says. He concludes by reiterating that the costumes are handmade by the runner or a family member if not bought locally. “I’ve seen some of the costumes the Mardi Gras wear are in shreds by the end of the day. They have a good time,” he concludes, and in the end, that’s what it’s all about.
The Facts:
It is included that there are now both male and female participants because the Mardi Gras association did not let women begin participating until around the same time Pat began doing so.
The Courir is often taken as a "rite of passage" for younger generations, as participants are allowed begin running at the age of 18 (Comeaux, 2).
During World War II, men were gone and residents of these towns had many other things to be concerned with. The revival of the celebration began in the early 1950s (Comeaux, 12).
The Capitaine for each group is responsible for maintaining order among the Mardi Gras participants and their leadership position typically lasts many years. According to Malcolm Comeaux, "The captain is never masked, holds a flag aloft while moving, and often wears a cape," (Comeaux, 16).
"The Mardi Gras" is the way that the participants in the parades are typically referred to.
A courir typically can last anywhere from 6-8 hours.
A major difference between this celebration and those of big cities such as New Orleans and Mobile is that in those cities, everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. In these rural celebrations, however, outsiders are often joked with and only tolerated.
Each participant (above the age of 21) is provided a number of tickets to be used at the "beer trailer."
Aside from the Capitaine, "The role of the lowly participants is to have fun, fool people, act the clown, beg for money and goods for the gumbo, harass people, and in general get into trouble," (Comeaux, 18).
Participants in this type of celebration have the choice to register a trailer or a horse to ride on or just to walk the entire route. This often results in walkers jumping on and off of random trailers throughout the day.
Some groups have more strict rules during the courir than others. However, it is typical that when dues are accepted (as they are in Eunice), the runners are expected to know and follow the rules. This is done for the purpose of maintaining tradition.
Dues can typically cost anywhere from $15-50.
The dance and supper downtown typically go on all day and end at midnight, when Lent officially begins (Comeaux, 22).