Mardi Gras midnight before Ash Wednesday. In earlier times, parades were held on New Year's Day. Other cities famous for Mardi Gras celebrations include Rio de Janeiro; Barranquilla, Colombia; George Town, Cayman Islands; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; and Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Carnival is an important celebration in Anglican and Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called "Shrovetide", ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects, as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat, and eggs
Rio de Janeiro bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics spreads medals across the entire program with two peaks at the weekends, being similar to the 2008 Summer Olympics program. The period proposed by the Rio de Janeiro bid committee to stage the 2016 Summer Olympics is from Friday, August 5, to Sunday, August 21, 2016. It is also proposed that the 2016 Summer Paralympics begin on the Independence Day of Brazil, Wednesday, September 7, and last until Sunday, September 18. The Rio de Janeiro bid committee was an incorporated non-profit entity under the leadership of an Honorary Council and an Executive Board, both chaired by Carlos Arthur Nuzman. At