Air Serbia » Er Srbija | 21 Legends of the rosebud and Rialto Bridge April is a wonderful month to visit Venice, because 25th April marks the date of the Feast of St. Mark, the city’s patron saint. This local public holiday begins with Holy Mass and is followed by festivities that include dancing and concerts. This day sees Venetian couples gladly respect the beautiful, old custom of men giving their lover a red rosebud. This is a small gesture done in remembrance of an ancient Venetian legend… Legend of the rosebud Maria was the daughter of the Doge of Venice, a girl of noble blood, who fell in love with Tancredi, a young troubadour from a poor family. Given that marriages between the nobility and ordinary folk weren’t permitted at that time, Maria proposed that her young suitor go to war to fight the infidels and return to Venice victorious, which would bring him titles and honour that would enable him to marry the girl he loved. The young Tancredi fought bravely, and news of his heroism soon reached Venice, where he was celebrated by all. However, one day he fell, mortally wounded, into a garden overgrown with roses, where his blood spilt and turned the buds red. While he lay dying, the young man picked a rosebud and handed it to his faithful friend, to carry back to Maria in Venice. She accepted it with a broken heart and without saying a word, and was then found dead, still clenching the red rosebud tightly to her heart. This happened around St. Mark's Day, which is why to this day every Venetian presents a red rosebud to his beloved on 25th April, representing a vow of eternal love. Rialto Bridge – deal with the Devil Another Venetian legend that’s also very tragic relates to one of the city's symbols: the Rialto Bridge. Antonio da Ponte was struggling to complete the bridge, which kept collapsing, driving him to a state of despair. However, one night he was addressed by the devil, who promised to help him, but in return he had to give him the first soul to cross the bridge. Antonio accepted the challenge, then brought a rooster to cross the bridge first. Seeing what he’d done, the devil paid a visit to Antonio’s pregnant wife and told her that her husband was waiting for her on the construction site. She became the first person to cross the bridge, and she give birth to a stillborn child, only to die herself soon afterwards, leaving the architect with a broken heart that he never recovered from. The devil received his payment, and everyone else received the Rialto Bridge, which still stands firm today, more than 430 years on! je dan kada svaki Venecijanac poklanja svojoj dragoj ružu kao zavet večne ljubavi every Venetian presents a red rosebud to his beloved on this day, representing a vow of eternal love 25. april Foto: depositphotos Foto: depositphotos / vitalfoto
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