Everyone knows about Louisiana Mardi Gras and its glitz, glam, parades and masquerades. But in Cajun Country, Mardi Gras goes down with a wholly different flourish, one that turns communities into stage shows of wild revelry. Called Courir de Mardi Gras in the rural parishes, you'll find masked runners and horsemen bedecked in colorful, tattered clothing, cavorting through the countryside on a begging quest for gumbo ingredients. It's an outrageous celebration--derived from the French medieval Festival of Begging--on the eve of Lenten season's fasting. In exchange for neighborly 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 Poché and take part in the wild spectacle and otherworldly whimsy of Courir de Mardi Gras.