Surely most Americans know about Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which will be celebrated this year on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Mardi Gras is always on a Tuesday, “Fat Tuesday” or “Shrove Tuesday” to be exact, the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. But many other cities across the world celebrate the approach of Lent – Venice, Italy; Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands; Cologne, Germany; Oruro, Boliva; Belgium’s Binche; and Nice in France.