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Sensa (The Ascension)

As a result of the diplomatic actions carried out by the “Serenissima” ending in the peace treaty of 1177 when the Pope and the Emperor met in Venice in the day of the Ascension, the Pope awarded many privileges to the city. Amongst the many rewards that Venice obtained in this occasion the most important was the faculty to “marry the sea” as a sign of complete control and domination over the seas in which Venice was trading in. Today the grandeur of the event is less felt than in the passed centuries but it brings with it the historic remembrance and the symbolism of the “marriage with the sea”. In the day of the Ascension, the Mayor of Venice together with civilian, religious and military authorities sails from Saint Mark Square as far as the Harbour of San NicolÚ where the ritual of throwing a wedding ring in the water takes place. All the boats used for the procession are rowing. The city authorities are followed by numerous boats normally used for sport races belonging to the many rowing societies existing in Venice, the only societies in which the old rowing tradition of the “Voga veneta” is kept alive. The boats precede the historic procession where all the oars are dressed up in original costumes that represent the magnificence of the Venice of the past. After the ritual of the launch of the ring and a laurel wreath in memory of all the men perished at sea, the procession ends at the Church of Saint NicolÚ of the Lido with a solemn religious ceremony. An exciting gondola race closes the day of the Ascension.