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Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
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You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
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The ritual is more than 1000 years old and was originally performed by the Doges
If you happen to be in Venice or nearby this Sunday (12 May), you should witness a curious and ancient ceremony that takes place every year around this time. Called “Sposalizio del Mare” (Mariage of the Sea), it symbolizes the long maritime heritage and dominion of the Republic of Venice. The ritual has been an integral part of the Festa de la Sensa (Feast of the Ascension).
The festivity is highly ritualistic and according to sources it was first held around the year 1000 AD at the time when Venice was busy conquering the Dalmatian coast. In that sense, it serves to commemorate and honour the glorious (and some might say proto-colonialist) past of the Serene Republic, which was the greatest maritime power of the Middle Ages.
Originally, the Marriage of the Sea ceremony involved the Doge, the supreme leader of Venice, as the main protagonist. Dressed in full regalia, he would board a barge called bucentaur, where he would be then joined by the Patriarch of Venice and other dignitaries.
The Patriarch would perform a ritualistic marriage between the Adriatic Sea and Venice (with the Doge serving as its representative) and pour a pot of holy water into the sea. Then the Doge would step up and throw a golden ring into the waters pronouncing the words:
Desponsamus te, mare. In signum veri perpetuique dominii.” (“We marry you, oh Sea! As a sign of true and perpetual dominion.”)
The ceremony was regularly performed until the demise of the Venetian Republic in 1797 and even one famous Venetian by the name of Giacomo Casanova wrote about it a bit sarcastically. He described the Doge’s barge as not very seaworthy and that even a strong headwind could “drown the doge with all the most serene lordship, the ambassadors and the nuncio of the pope", but if it happened then the Doge could finally consummate his marriage.
With the loss of Venetian independence, the ritual disappeared but in 1965 it was revived as a local cultural heritage monument. Nowadays, the place of the Doge is taken by the Mayor of Venice, who makes sure to affirm the commitment of his city to the sea with a golden ring.
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Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
This is city twinning for the 21st century
You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
People in both cities got to sit together both in person and virtually
The city was concerned about street noise and disturbances to residents
And the current administration plans to make Jardin del Turia Europe’s largest city green space by extending it to the sea
The aim is to have the public be able to admire the architectural design without distractions
The installation has been thought out with the concept of letting people “talk” to their dearly departed
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