Mardi Gras frivolity gives way as Lent begins

Gaudy floats, beads and costumes gave way to street sweepers and repentance as Fat Tuesday ended and largely Catholic south Louisiana welcomed Ash Wednesday. At midnight on Mardi Gras, a wedge of law enforcement—mounted horsemen—moved slowly down Bourbon Street in New Orleans to clear off remaining drinkers, declaring the all-day party over. Well before then, sweeper trucks began clearing tons of beer cans, broken beads and other trash from city streets dampened by intermittent rain showers throughout the day. Churches around the area scheduled Masses at which priests would dot or cross the foreheads of the faithful with ash to mark the start of the 40-day Lenten season of penitence and fasting. Mardi Gras crowds throughout the metropolitan New Orleans area were a little smaller than in recent years, perhaps as a consequence of forecasts of rain. Still, parades went off as scheduled, even as a fog settled over the riverfront and downtown areas. Police, who had to deal with massive waves of visitors—first for Super Bowl and then for Mardi Gras—reported no major problems other than on Saturday night, when four people were shot on Bourbon Street. A suspect has been arrested. The Associated Press has the full story here.