Festa della Marie
Festa della Marie. Dive into the heart of Venice’s Carnival with the Feast of the Marie, an event steeped in history and tradition. Celebrate the ancient tale of twelve brides and their communal wedding, the dramatic rescue from pirates and the modern-day parade of beauty and costumes that honours this legendary feast.
Today, as the main opening event, the festival is a fusion of history, myth and festivity; capturing the essence of Venice and its lasting traditions. It’s a lively and colourful event that draws visitors globally and if your in Venice during this period, it’s certainly a spectacle you won’t want to miss!
Introduction
Festival of the Marie – History and Development
Flight of the Angel – History
Two Celebratory Poems
Links (internal-external)
Festa della Marie – Introduction
Throughout history, Venice has celebrated numerous feasts and events that are significant to its heritage. The Festa delle Marie is one such event, which commemorates the brave rescue of twelve young brides and their dowries, who were abducted by pirates during their group wedding at the Basilica of San Pietro di Castello.
Since the 9th century, every year on February 2nd, the Serenissima would bless couples planning to marry within the year. Recognizing that not everyone could afford the costs of a wedding and establishing a new household, the authorities, inspired by the successful rescue of the kidnapped brides, established a tradition.
Annually, wealthy Venetian families were to provide twelve deserving but impoverished Venetian girls with the magnificence of rich bridal dowries, fine clothes, and jewels.
Canaletto. “Night time Celebration Outside the Church of San Pietro di Castello” (1755).
The Festa della Marie is traditionally associated with the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on February 2nd, which also coincided with the blessing of marriages. Since 1999, this tradition has been adapted and integrated into the Venice Carnival celebrations.
The original tradition has transformed into a key element of the Carnival, featuring three distinct events during the Carnival period. Attendees enjoy a variety of activities surrounding these events, such as historical reenactments, circus performances, masked parades, and musical concerts.
- The opening parade of the Festa delle Marie, taking place on a Saturday, begins at the Church of San Pietro in Castello, the original bishop’s seat. The twelve girls, chosen a few weeks earlier, are joined by hundreds in historical attire as they march along Via Garibaldi and Riva degli Schiavoni, culminating in Piazza San Marco. Upon arrival, the twelve maidens are greeted on the main stage by the Master of Ceremonies and the Doge. Notably, the exact date of this event may change as it is part of the Venice Carnival celebrations. For instance, the Festa delle Marie was on February 11th in 2023, February 18th in 2024, and is set for February 22nd in 2025. The parade is planned to start at 2:30 pm and reach the Piazza by 4:00 pm.
- The subsequent Sunday features one of the Carnival’s highlights – the “Flight of the Angel” (“Il Volo dell’Angelo”). At noon, the girl crowned as “Maria of the Carnival” the previous year descends from the bell tower to the stage in the Piazza.
- The Carnival concludes on the Tuesday known as “Mardi Gras,” with the announcement of the “Maria del Carnevale” in St. Mark’s Square. The Marie are evaluated not just for their beauty but also for their personality and capacity to embody the festival’s traditional essence. The victor earns the honor of being the next year’s Angel, descending from St. Mark’s bell tower. The twelve Marie make their entrance by boat and depart from Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio, with the crowning ceremony for the winning Maria starting at 4 pm.
The Venice Carnival always ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the final day of permitted indulgence before the 40-day Lenten period commences.
Festa della Marie – History and Development
Venice was founded as a bishopric in 774, with the Basilica of San Pietro di Castello, situated on the diminutive island of Olivolo at Venice’s northeastern edge, serving as its spiritual hub.
In Venice’s formative years, the bishopric annually orchestrated a communal wedding for betrothed couples, culminating in a magnificent ceremony on January’s final day. Each bride approached the church bearing her “arcella,” a modest chest holding her dowry.
Upon the arrival of their grooms and kin, they joined in mass and were graced with the bishop’s blessings. Thereafter, the newlyweds and their relatives embarked on separate processions to their abodes to revel in their nuptial banquets.
The Festa delle Marie however, also commemorates a dramatic rescue….
The story of a harrowing event unfolds in the early 940s, during the time of the annual wedding ceremony. The brides, with their dowries, were already gathered in the church, and the Doge was present to witness the occasion.
Without warning, a fleet of galleys (small, oared warships) neared the island. Pirates, thought to hail from Trieste, Istria, or Dalmatia, stormed and plundered the church. They rounded up the frightened and bewildered girls, along with their dowries, and swiftly set sail on their vessels.
Legend has it that the city’s alarm bells tolled, spurring the citizens and grooms to arm themselves and seize any galleys and crews at hand.
The Venetians chased down and confronted the pirates near Caorle, roughly 50 km north of Venice. The Venetians vanquished the pirates, casting their bodies into the sea, thus denying them a Christian burial. The harbor where the daring rescue took place was christened “porto delle donzelle,” a name it proudly bears even now.
The brides and their dowries were safely escorted back to Venice by their saviors. The collective weddings were held the following day, on February 2nd, aligning with the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“La Festa delle Marie”. Ludovico Raymond (Date unknown, but stylistically suggestive of the 19th century.)
A feast popular with the people.
Following the liberation of the brides of Olivolo, the Doge initiated a tradition in which, every year on February 2nd, the state would provide a dowry for twelve virtuous yet impoverished girls, soon known as the “Twelve Maries.”
The responsibility of selecting these fortunate girls was later passed to the “sestieri” (districts), with each choosing two girls. The parishes competed to dress the girls in the most sumptuous garments.
The festival became extremely popular with the common people, as it annually raised some of their daughters to the higher ranks of society, treating them akin to royalty. Coming from poorer backgrounds, these girls were the beneficiaries of high-profile charity from the Venetian nobility, who funded both the young women and the grand feasts. The celebrations lasted a full eight days.
The Doge received the selected young women in their opulent outfits. After 1204, they were entitled to wear jewels from the treasury of the Basilica di San Marco, treasures that were obtained during the sack of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade.
“Campo Santa Maria Formosa” (detail), by Bernardo Bellotto, circa 1742.
On the last day, February 2nd, the young women joined the Doge in attending mass at the church of Santa Maria Formosa, associated with the box-makers’ guild, the “cassellari.” The final ceremony was held in the church of San Pietro di Castello, the origin of the festival, where the young women finally received their dowries.
The celebrations included magnificent boat parades on the Grand Canal, solemn processions, bullfights in the public squares, and opulent banquets and dances, all sponsored by wealthy patricians.
“Festival of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 2nd February at Santa Maria Formosa, Venice,” is an oil painting on canvas by Gabriele Bella (1730-1799).
The Feast’s Gradual Decline and End
Over time, the escalating costs of patriarchal celebrations and bride selection led to conflicts, with inter-parish competition sometimes turning into physical violence and some men behaving inappropriately towards the parade’s girls.
Consequently, laws were passed in 1120 and 1143 to regulate the festivities. A 1271 law limited the number of honored girls to four, and eventually, they were replaced by wooden statues. By 1343, these girls were substituted with decorated wooden silhouettes called “Maria de tola” (wooden woman), a term that evolved to describe a woman devoid of feminine attributes and emotions, giving rise to the term “marionette.”
The reduction of the event to a mere symbolic act was not well received by the common folk of the sestieri and parishes. They protested by hurling objects, including turnips, at officials, leading to laws banning turnip throwing during the eight-day celebration, further reducing its popularity.
The 1379–80 War of Chioggia halted the festivities as the Genovese fleet took over the lagoon, seizing Poveglia, Malamocco, and Chioggia, and Venice fought for its survival, accruing significant debts. Even after regaining their lands, Venice ended the traditional celebrations.
The sole surviving tradition was the Doge’s yearly visit to the Cassellari, the box-makers’ guild at Santa Maria Formosa, which persisted until 1797.
Festa della Marie – History of the Flight of the Angel
The “Volo dell’Angelo,” or Flight of the Angel, is a tradition steeped in Venetian history since the mid-16th century. It began with a daring feat by a young Turkish acrobat who tightrope-walked from a boat to the top of St. Mark’s bell tower and then to the Doge’s Palace, honoring the Doge. This act of bravery was so esteemed that it became an annual event, originally named “Svolo del Turco” (Flight of the Turk).
As time passed, the event expanded to include professional tightrope walkers and later, adventurous young Venetians. By the 18th century, acrobats, secured by metal rings to a rope, would descend to the Doge’s Palace, receiving gifts and money from the Doge for their prowess. This spectacle was later termed the “Flight of the Angel.”
In 1759, a tragic accident occurred when an acrobat fell during the performance. Consequently, the live act was replaced with a large wooden dove that scattered flowers and confetti over the onlookers, and the event was renamed the “Flight of the Colombina” (little dove).
The incorporation of this tradition into the Carnival is a relatively recent innovation, initiated in 1999 by director Bruno Tosi. The “Mary of the Carnival,” a title given to a young Venetian woman the preceding year, performs the “Flight of the Angel.” She elegantly descends from the San Marco bell tower to the square’s center, saluting the Doge amidst the crowd’s applause and the participants’ joy. Her descent represents the Doge’s endorsement and the Angel’s benediction on the city.
The Festa delle Marie is a prominent cultural event that highlights Venice’s rich history and traditions. This lively and colorful festivity draws visitors from all over the globe. If you find yourself in Venice during this period, it’s an experience not to be missed!
<<<<< Carnival returns in 2025, from February 14th until March 4th >>>>>
Two Celebratory Poems.
“Flight of the Angel”.
From San Marco’s lofty height,
An angel descends, pure and bright,
Gliding down on silken thread,
A vision in white, gold, and red.
The crowd below in awe does stare,
At the figure floating through the air,
With open arms and fearless gaze,
She blesses the city, sets hearts ablaze.
Her gown billows in gentle sway,
As she makes her celestial way,
To touch the earth, a kiss so light,
Amidst the carnival’s delight.
The bells chime in joyous sound,
As her feet finally grace the ground,
The ‘Flight of the Angel’, a sight so rare,
A moment in time, beyond compare.
So let us cheer and let us sing,
For the beauty and thrill that angels bring,
In Venice, where dreams are woven tight,
Begins the carnival, with an angel’s flight.
The Spirit of the “Festa delle Marie”.
In Venice, where masks and hearts entwine,
The ‘Festa delle Marie’ begins to shine,
A tale of brides from days of yore,
When pirates sought their beauty to adore.
Twelve maidens fair, in gowns arrayed,
Through cobbled streets, they form a parade,
A tribute to the past, so rich and rare,
A procession of grace, beyond compare.
From San Pietro’s ancient, hallowed halls,
To the Doge’s Palace, where history calls,
They journey forth, a sight divine,
In the city of canals, where dreams align.
Each step they take, a story told,
Of heritage, of courage, of virtues bold,
The ‘Festa delle Marie’, a living art,
A celebration of culture, close to heart.
The bells ring out, the people cheer,
For the maidens of Venice, we hold dear,
In their honour, we dance and sing,
For the joy and unity they bring.
So let the ‘Festa’ in splendour bloom,
In the city where love finds its room,
For in Venice, beauty does not vary,
Blessed be the day, the ‘Festa delle Marie’.
Links (internal–external)
Carnevale di Venezia 2024 – Officiale Site
Facebook Video|: Watch the “Festa delle Marie”, the oldest celebration in Venice by Andrea Rizzo!
All my posts not part of the Carnival, in the category of “Festival-Regattas-Events”
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