This is the patronal feast of Venice, celebrated in memory of Saint Mark the Evangelist. In our cities, there is a particular custom: men give to the women of their family a red rose bud, that in dialect is said boccolo: at least, one rose in a year!
This custom is said to be born from a legend around 800; a blonde girl named Maria, daughter of the future Doge Angelo Partecipazio, was strongly in love with Tancredi, a troubadour very brave and beautiful. The feeling of the two young people was opposed by her father, because he would not allow such a marriage. Mary, therefore, asked Tancredi going to fight against the Arabs in Spain with the army of Carlo Magno, and cover himself with glory: doing this way, the father would not be more opposed to their love. Tancredi left and the fame of his glorious deeds spread quickly around the world. One day, however, arrived in Venice some Frankish knights led by the famous Orlando, found Maria and spoke the death of the gallant troubadour. He fell at Roncesvalles bleeding over a rose, but before he died he had caught a flower and prayed Orlando to want to bring it to his loved one. The girl took the rose with the color of his blood and remained locked in her pain. The next day, on the feast of St. Mark, she was found dead with the bloody flower on her heart. Since that time, the bud of rose, symbol of love that is about to open to life and to the sun, is offered to women in the days of St. Mark.