Children sat atop ladders yelling for beads(1) and other trinkets(2) Sunday as two of the Carnival season's biggest and glitziest parades(3) rolled through this fun-starved city.

By nightfall(4), the warm, sunny weather had chilled a bit, but that didn't stop the crowds old, young and of all races from partying.

In the aftermath(5) of Hurricane Katrina, which flooded most of the city last summer, people seemed a bit nicer and less apt to(6) lace their words with(7) profanities(8) than in previous years, an annual vendor(9) said.

"Before, the people were more aggressive; now I see there is more passion, more calm," said Miryan Velasquez, 60, who sells alligator on hot dog buns, lemonade and shrimp po-boys(10), a quintessential(11) New Orleans sandwich on French bread.

Pat Kaschalk, a teacher in New Orleans, estimated the crowds at three-quarters of the usual numbers.

"It was actually possible to catch something this year," she said. "We were able to get close to the floats and make eye contact with the riders. Normally we wouldn't be able to do that."

A threat of thunderstorms(12) Saturday prompted a one day delay of the Krewe(13) of Endymion(14)'s parade, which was set to follow the Krewe of Bacchus(15) on Sunday night. Three smaller parades were held in the afternoon.

The sunny weather and party atmosphere provided a sense of optimism for New Orleans six months after Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and dispersed more than two-thirds of the population.

"I just hope the rest of the world doesn't think New Orleans is OK because we're having Mardi Gras," said Cynthia Perkins, who lost her home in the flood.

While some decried(16) the city's plan to hold Mardi Gras celebrations while tens of thousands of residents were displaced, Ebony Jenkins, who lost home, car and possessions in the flood, was in a festive mood nonetheless.

"My take on it is: Let it roll," she said as she waited for floats and masked riders to fill the street and shed a rain of doubloons(17) and beads on the throngs(18).

She stressed. "You can't take Mardi Gras from the N.O."

The annual Carnival season winds up on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which is marked by parades and street parties through the city. In stricter days, the Carnival season was the last chance to use up all the fat in the larder(19) and kick it up a bit before the austerity(20) and fasting(21) of Lent(22).

周日，这座奇缺欢乐的城市迎来狂欢节中两组最盛大、眩目的游行队伍，孩子们爬到梯子顶部，欢叫着索要串珠和其它小纪念品。

黄昏来临，舒适温暖的天气渐渐转凉，但是各民族男女老少的狂欢派对却丝毫没有冷却。

一位每年都参加狂欢的卖商说：虽然去年夏天，卡特里娜摧毁新奥尔良大部分地区， 但是与往年相比，这里的人们看起来更加愉快，少了很多抱怨。

六十岁的摩炎·韦拉斯凯兹在狂欢会上卖鳄鱼肉热狗、柠檬水和新奥尔良经典三明治—法国面包夹虾肉三明治。他说：“以前，人们更容易愤怒；现在，人们更加热情、平静。”

新奥尔良教师帕特·卡斯考克认为此次参加狂欢节的人数比往年少了四分之一。

她说：“今年很可能抓到一些小纪念品。因为我们可以靠近游行队伍，甚至可以和游行者进行目光交流。通常这都是不可能的。”

由于担心周六会有雷暴来袭，恩底弥翁克鲁决定把游行推迟一天，在周日晚间巴克斯克鲁之后举行。下午由三个小游行队伍表演。

六个月前，卡特里娜淹没了新奥尔良百分之八十的地区，驱散了三分之二的人口。这温暖的天气和狂欢的氛围无疑为这座城市带来喜庆的空气。

辛西娅·帕金斯在飓风中失去家人，她说：“我希望全世界不要因为我们庆祝四旬斋前狂欢节就以为新奥尔良已经完全复原了。”

有些人认为成千上万的居民已经不住在这里了，四旬斋前狂欢节不应该在这里举行。但是在飓风中失去家人、汽车和财产的埃波尼·让金斯却因为这次狂欢感到了快乐。

“我的看法是：狂欢吧！”她一边说，一边等待狂欢队伍和带着面具的游行者们涌进街道，等待像雨一样的金币和串珠从天而降。

她强调说：“你不能把四旬斋前狂欢节与新奥尔良分开。”

每年，新奥尔良举行游行和露天派对来庆祝四旬斋前狂欢节，或称“油腻星期二” 。在宗教教条森严的时候，狂欢季是把橱柜中所有肉食消耗完毕的最后机会，以此为四旬斋的苦行和斋戒做准备。