NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Colourful parades rolled through New Orleans on Tuesday as thousands of revellers turned out to celebrate Mardi Gras in the city still scarred by Hurricane Katrina.
The celebrants, many in costume, begged for beads -- or "throws" in New Orleans slang -- tossed from French Quarter balconies or by masked "krewe" members on floats.
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, marks the end of the 12-day Carnival season that precedes Lent.
Many flooded-out homes and businesses are still abandoned, but experts say New Orleans now has about 70 percent of its pre-Katrina population of nearly half a million.
"This one feels a lot like what we had pre-Katrina," Mayor Ray Nagin said in a television interview from his perch on the parade route. "It looks like we're continuing to get stronger every day and we're just going to have to keep working hard."
