New Orleans holds 1st parade of Carnival

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Women dressed as angels, hands clasped in prayer, passed through New Orleans to celebrate the first parade of Carnival season, just blocks from where 14 people were killed five days earlier by a rampaging driver. Hundreds filled the streets Monday evening for the annual Joan of Arc parade through New Orleans' historic French Quarter. Organizers said they wanted the event to convey the city's spirited grit as it grapples with the violent New Year's Day attack but still persists with beloved traditions. "We are celebrating life," said Antoinette de Alteriis, a captain of the Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc. "We are choosing hope and we are choosing joy." Before the parade, President Joe Biden paid tribute to victims at the nearby St. Louis Cathedral. The attacker, a U.S. citizen who had proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group, was fatally shot in a firefight with police. The Joan of Arc Parade, which began in 2008 and falls on the French hero's birthday, marks the end of the Christmas season, arrival of Carnival and the countdown to Mardi Gras. The next eight weeks are spent feasting, drinking and revelry before Ash Wednesday and the fasting associated with Lent. Life Sacco, 17, served as Joan of Arc in the parade, donning a costume and raising a sword. The weight of the parade, which tells the story of Joan of Arc's life — from military bravery to burning at the stake to sainthood — is not lost upon Sacco. She said that the patron saint of France represents what the city needs: courage, endurance and the power of hope. "It's such an emotional time right now for the city of New Orleans, you can see it on everyone's faces," she said. "But I feel like the first parade of the year could help lift spirits." New Orleans has the largest and best-known Carnival celebrations in the U.S., with street parties, fancy balls and parades from simple neighborhood-based walking clubs to elaborate high-tech extravaganzas with massive floats laden with flashing lights and giant animated figures.