Festa della Sensa

Author: Serena

Among all the Venetian celebrations it is important to quote the Feast of the Sensa ( 23-24 May) that recalls the thousand-year Venetian history and the closed relationship that this city has always had with its see and with the activity of the Venetian rowing.

Festa della Sensa

The Festa della Sensa (Feast of the Sensa) has very ancient origins and it was a celebration moment of the Republic of Venice that occurred on the day of Christ’s Ascension (“Sensa” in the Venetian dialect).

For this occasion, there was the organization of the Fiera della Sensa (Fair of Sensa) that attracted many European tourists. This fair took place in San Marco Square for 15 days and it was possible to find there international rare goods and curiosities. The feast culminated with a particular ceremony that celebrated the power of Venice upon the see. The Doge went on board of the “Bucintoro” (his representative vessel) in order to reach the entrance of San Nicolò port where he threw in the see a golden ring.

Today this feast is a real historical commemoration. The metaphor of the marriage between the city and the see is always the same: the mayor, with the other religious and civil authorities, does exactly the same thing that the Doge was used to do in the past.

The ceremony is today accompaigned by the Doge’s parade in San Marco square, by the little market of the Sensa in the church of San Nicolò di Lido, by the Venetian rowing competitions, by the water parade of the rowing associations, by the feast in the Fort of Sant’Andrea and by several other events. This confirms that this feast is still today an important gathering moment that highlights the Venetian history and traditions: this is the feast of the city and of its relation with the see.