Residents of the French Quarter stage a classic New Orleans funeral parade for a visitor they're glad has departed: Hurricane Katrina.
"People feel bad about losing things and loved ones," says New Orleans native Ray Kern. "But part of spirit of New Orleans tradition is we have a period of mourning and then you cut it loose... cut the spirit loose."
Reveler Ian McNulty said the parade was badly needed to relieve the drudgery of cleaning up the city. "The correct setting for a New Orleanian is to be out in the sun wearing ridiculous clothing, drinking and having fun, and carousing with strangers and loved ones -- not scrubbing mold out of the basement of your house," he says.
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