Saint Mark Festival in Venice

25 of April is a Public Holiday in Italy, celebrating the end of Nazi-Fascist regime. But in Venice, this is also Saint Mark’s day, as this day was dedicated to the patron saint of the city by the Catholic calendar.
On Saint Mark’s festival in Venice a religious procession takes place until the Basilica, and on this day Venetians offer a red rosebud to their women.
On Saint Mark’s festival it is also commemorated one of the most important events in the history of Venice: the arrival of the body of the saint from Alexandria in Egypt to the lagoon, stolen by two Venetians merchants. This event was granted a special importance because Saint Mark the Evangelist was believed to have arrived in this area to convert its inhabitants to Christianism.