Festivals & Events: Festivals in Veneto

Festivals in Veneto

Festival name: St. Mark's Day
Date: April 25
Town: Venice
Region: The Veneto
About the event: About the event: April 25, St. Mark's Day, is celebrated around the world. However, in Venice (whose patron saint is Mark) a special festival is held, with the holiday jointly commemorating the city's historic founding on that day in 421 AD. Venetians hold a gondola race in Bacina di San Marco, and throw feasts in honor of the Saint, making sure to include "risi e bisi" (literally, "rice and peas"), a dish historically served to the doge each year on St. Mark's Day. A plate of risotto cooked in vegetable broth and prepared with fresh peas and pancetta, the recipe is a tasty tradition definitely worth maintaining.

A different, more unusual tradition also observed on this holiday is the sale of boccioli (“buds”) of red roses. April 25, every Venetian man takes care to purchase one of these flowers as a token of love for all the ladies in his life (wife, mother, cousins, friends, etc.). The longer the flower’s stem, the deeper the love. According to legend, this practice originated when a soldier, enamored of the doge’s daughter, became mortally wounded during battle in a far-off land. As his blood spilled onto the ground, it bore red roses, which he entrusted to his companion to take to the girl. Although the tale does not specify that the flowers arrived on St. Mark’s Day, Venetians have elected to celebrate this pagan miracle on the day of their patron saint.

Festival name: Summer in the "Chess City"
Date: End of May through the end of July
Where: P.zza Castello,1 Marastica (VI), Veneto
About the event: Many fancy festivals entertain the town of Marostica throughout the summer, including the Festival of Cherries (May 25 and June 1); Ethnic Food Nights (June 24-28); Cars on the Road, a popular car exhibition (June 22); Jazz concerts (June 30-July 7); and much more. But the most famous of the traditions is the living chess game which takes place during even years on the second weekend of September (the next game is September 10-12, 2004).

The first game dates back to 1454 when Marostica was part of the Venetian Republic. That year, two noblemen fell in love with Lenora, the daughter of the Lord of Marostica's castle. True to the times, the noblemen challenged each other to a duel. To ensure that both his daughters would have a wealthy man to marry, the Lord suggested a chess game instead of a duel after which the winner would take the hand of his older daughter and the loser would marry his younger daughter.

The game was played on a feast day in the castle square with armed living people as chess figures. A festival with parades, banners and costumes surrounded the entire event, as it does today. The reenactment now uses more than 550 characters and lasts two hours. Nearly 4,000 visitors fill the castle square to celebrate the event. Lenora is elected from among 20 candidates at an authentic medieval dinner in early July.
For more info: Tel. 0424.72127-470995, www.marosticascacchi.it

Festival name: Asparagus Festival
Date: Late May (Every Year)
Where: Four locations
Town: Bassano del Grappa
Province: Verona
Region: Veneto
Food: Asparagus
About the event: Test your taste for Bassano's well-known delicacy at the spring asparagus festival. The town's white asparagus is known around the world for its high quality. It is so prized that it was given a legal name from the government: Asparagi DOC di Bassano.

On the streets of Bassano, farmers serve their prized asparagus alongside hard-boiled eggs with extra-virgin olive oil and a glass of Garganego wine. Awards for the best asparagus are presented at a folk-feast during the "Asparago d'Oro" competition.

But in the restaurants, the chefs organize their own festival called, "At the table with white asparagus." Unlike the simplicity of the farmers' asparagus, chefs mix the vegetable with exotic ingredients to yield gourmet dishes like glazed asparagus with almond sherbet and whipped oil.

The white asparagus differs from the more common green variety in that it has not been exposed to sunlight before harvest. It is therefore more tender and the entire spear is edible.
For more info: Riviera degli Olivi, Garda Tourist Office or www.aptgardaveneto.com
Tel. (+39) 045-725-6672

Festival name: Feast of Santa Maria della Salute
Date: November 21
Where: Santa Maria della Salute Church
Province: Venice
Region: The Veneto
About the event: In 1630, thousands of Venetians died from the plague. The priests in the city prayed for divine intervention and promised to build a church in honor of the Virgin Mary if God would cure the people. Within weeks the epidemic faded, so the Venetians built Santa Maria della Salute Church. Today city workers still lay a footbridge built on pontoon boats across the Grand Canal every November 21. The bridge leads from the San Marco quarter to the steps of the Church, and the main doors are opened for mass. The Venetians light candles in front of the church and everyone enjoys mutton and frittele veneziana (fritters stuffed with pine nuts or raisins).