It is well known that Venetians are womanisers. Casanova’s fame precedes us a little, but we know how to be just as romantic, so today I’m going to tell you about a festival I love: St Mark’s day and the Festa del Boccolo (Bocolo) on April 25th in Venice.

April 25th in Venice is not only the feast day of the patron saint of Venice, St Mark, but also the day when young Venetian lovers give their “sweetheart” a rosebud. So much for Valentine’s Day!

St Mark’s Day in Venice

The patron saint of Venice is St Mark, whose feast day is celebrated every year on April 25th. This day is known as “Festa di San Marco” (St Mark’s Day) and is an important holiday in Venice. The day is celebrated with church services, processions and other festivities throughout the city to commemorate the date of the discovery of the site where the relics were hidden in 1094.

St Mark’s Day in Venice is one of the most important events in the city, an ancient tradition linked to the historic transfer of the remains of St Mark, the city’s patron saint of Venice, to the Serenissima, which took place on 31 January.

Saint Mark is an important figure in the history and culture of Venice, being the patron saint of Venice and the symbol of Venetian identity. The famous St Mark’s Basilica in Venice is dedicated to him and his image can be found throughout the city in various forms of art and architecture.

Festa del Bocolo

This is a tradition linked to St Mark’s Day: The Festa del Bocolo is the custom of giving a rosebud to a loved one on St Mark’s Day.

This is the patron saint’s day of Venice, celebrated in memory of St Mark the Evangelist. In our city it is customary for the men to give the women of the family a red rosebud, in dialect bòccolo: at least one rose a year!

It is said that this custom has its origins in a legend: in the nineteenth century, a blonde girl called Maria, daughter of the future Doge Angelo Partecipazio, fell in love with the very brave and handsome troubadour Tancredi. The feelings of the two young people were rejected by their father, who would not allow such a marriage.

Maria asked Tancredi to fight with Charlemagne’s army against the Arabs in Spain and to clothe himself in glory so that her father would no longer resist her love. Tancredi set off, and the fame of his glorious deeds soon spread throughout the world.

One day, however, Frankish knights led by the famous Orlando came to Venice, sought out Maria and announced the death of the brave troubadour. He had fallen bleeding on a rose bush in Roncesvalles, but before he died he picked a flower and asked Orlando to take it to his beloved.

The girl took the rose, still stained with her Tancredi’s blood, and endured her grief. The next day, the feast of St Mark, she was found dead with the bloody flower on her heart. Since then, the rosebud, symbol of love open to life and the sun, is offered to women on St Mark’s Day.

In St Mark’s Square there is the “living Bocolo“.

The calendar of events for Venice 2023

Liberation Day in Venice

Festa della Liberazione (Liberation Day) is a public holiday in Italy celebrated every year on April 25th. It commemorates the end of the Italian Civil War and the liberation of Italy from Fascist rule during the Second World War.

On April 25th, 1945, Italian resistance fighters and Allied troops liberated the city of Milan from Nazi occupation. This event marked a turning point in the war and eventually led to the end of Fascist rule in Italy.

The holiday is celebrated throughout the country with parades, speeches and other commemorative events. It is an important day in Italian history and commemorates the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom and democracy during the Second World War.

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