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Traditional Mardi Gras costumes prepared at Church Point store

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With Mardi Gras season in full swing, stores across Acadiana are selling costumes for Courirs.

In Church Point, Le Vieux Moulin’s building will catch your eye. However, it’s even more festive inside.

“Everything is a mess,” owner Jean Norman said.

That “mess” is full of festive Mardi Gras costumes, each hand made by Jean Norman and her husband Tom.

“Fabric is my life. I’m a fabric artist,” Norman said.

The Normans have spent more than 20 years making and selling costumes out of their shop. The building itself has been around for decades.

“Le Vieux Moulin, that means the old mill,” Norman said. “This was an old feed store and they would mill the corn. We just called it that because it’s old. It’s almost a hundred years old and we’re pretty close to that age too.”

The tradition of Courir costumes dates back to the 1700s. Today, these costumes go beyond Acadiana, with some of them shipped worldwide.

“It takes a long time to make a costume the way I make my costumes,” Norman said. “I have one that takes me four days. Another takes me two days.”

While it takes time to put the finishing touches on the outfits, the Normans say the most important detail is keeping the tradition alive.

“Because I am Cajun and I think everybody has a culture,” Norman said. “Culture is important and everyone ought to try and preserve that culture.”