This Party's Over

About a week ago, New Orleans wrapped up its first Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina. This years carnival season was smaller in every way. Fewer parade days, fewer parades and fewer people lining the streets quickly clued everyone in that this Mardi Gras was different. Not to mention some parades rolled right passed huge piles of debris yet to be removed. Mardi Gras is part of the cultural makeup of New Orleans. Why the city celebrates carnival is something unknown and misunderstood by most outside the New Orleans area. Despite the deep roots of Mardi Gras among the people, the decision to hold the event this year was controversial. Some believed that Mardi Gras was a needed and necessary part of rebuilding the city and offered a welcome distraction from the rebuilding efforts. Others felt such a celebration was ill-timed, diverting valuable resources away from recovery and sending a false perception that things were fine in New Orleans. Whatever the opinion, Mardi Gras 2006 rolled on. Now that the last parade float has been put away for another year and the streets swept somewhat clean of beads, life is back to normal as we now define it.