Editing Iota, Louisiana (section)

==Arts and culture==
[[File:New iota mardi gras.jpg|left|thumb|alt=|Mardi Gras celebration near Iota]]
The annual Iota Mardi Gras Folklife Festival attracts thousands of tourists and visitors, offering authentic [[Cajun food]], [[Cajun music|music]] and crafts. In contrast to the elaborate costumes and parades of urban Carnival [[krewe]]s, in Iota and nearby rural communities like Tee Mamou and LeJeune Cove, [[Cajuns]] celebrate ''[[Courir de Mardi Gras]]''. Disguised with masks, costumes, and conical hats called [[capuchon]]s, the townspeople travel through the surrounding countryside, making merry while begging for money and [[gumbo]] ingredients. The gumbo is the centerpiece of a communal supper and dance, where the Mardi Gras riders sing the ''[[Chanson de Mardi Gras]]'', an old [[Louisiana French|Cajun French]] drinking and begging song, and then take off their masks to reveal, ostensibly for the first time that day, the identity of each rider.

[[File:Iota Louisiana High School.jpg|alt=|thumb|250x250px|Iota High School]]