Visiting the city of Venice always makes for an incredible experience that you won’t be able to forget easily. Its magical atmosphere creates an out-of-this-world sensation throughout the whole year but even more so during the Christmas Holidays. If you’re thinking of coming to Venice for the Epiphany feast, you’re in the right place! Today we’ll explore something more about what it is like to celebrate the Epiphany in Venice and what you can do in this city.
Let’s find out something more about celebrating the Epiphany Feast in Venice and the best experiences you can have during this incredible time!
Venice’s Epiphany Feast: A Blend of Tradition and Magic
Let’s start with going a little more in-depth as to what the Epiphany Feast is and why Italians celebrate it. The Epiphany feast is a Christian Holiday that celebrates the arrival of the three Re Magi, commonly known as the Three Kings, to the crib of Baby Jesus. It is believed that the Three Kings named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar traveled a long way to get to baby Jesus and bring him all kinds of gifts. This scene is often depicted in the Nativity Scenes, known in Italy as “Presepe”.
The Epiphany Feast Today
Nowadays, the Epiphany feast has become a particularly beloved Holiday by Italians, especially the kids. Similar to Santa Claus on Christmas, the Epiphany feast has its magical character: la Befana. La Befana is traditionally represented by an ugly witch who travels on a broomstick on the night between the 5th and 6th of January to bring sweet treats to the kids that were good throughout the year. These sweet treats are placed by her whilst the kids sleep in a Christmas stocking that the kids traditionally leave out before going to bed. This magical legend lights up the faces of kids all over Italy who wake up with a stocking full of treats!
La Befana Regatta: A Unique Epiphany Celebration in Venice
As previously mentioned, on the Epiphany feast day, many events and fun experiences are hosted but, one of the most interesting ones to go see in Venice has to be the Befana Regatta Race. This event sees circa 50 members of the Bucintoro (Venice’s most ancient rowing club) dressed as the Befana race from S. Tomà to the Rialto Bridge. Even though the actual race is between the athletes, this event is very popular amongst Venetian families who gather around to watch and sometimes even bet on how long it will take for certain boats to reach the finish line which is marked by a huge sock-hanging, symbolizing an Epiphany stocking! The event usually starts at 08:30 AM, when the athletes get dressed in Magazzini del Sale alle Zattere. They usually begin racing at 09:30 AM. If you’re in Venice on January 6th, we highly suggest you go see the Regatta Race.
If you don’t feel like watching the race but you still wish to explore Venice’s most beautiful aspects with your family, we suggest you book a Tour for Families of Venice and St. Mark’s Basilica here.
Conclusion
Visiting the city of Venice during the Christmas Holidays is always an incredible experience thanks to the beauty of this city covered in Christmas decorations and lights and also the welcoming atmosphere that locals give out to tourists. Visiting this city on the Epiphany feast is even more exceptional for Venice’s Epiphany Regatta Race, an incredible event that you won’t be able to stop talking about! If you want to get to know more about Venice and Italy in general, we suggest you check out our other blogs.
