Saint Mark's Day, or the Feast of Saint Mark, commemorates

Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek language, Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' ...

and takes place on April 25.

Local observances and customs

Italy

The 25th of April is a national holiday throughout Italy, though not as Saint Mark's Day, but as anniversary of the liberation of Italy from the Nazi-Fascists in World War II (25 April 1945).

Sardinia

Tresnuraghes Tresnuraghes is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Oristano in the Italy, Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about north of Oristano. The name means ''three nuraghes'' in Sardinian language, Sardinian. G ...

, a small village in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

(

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

), a traditional Sardinian feast is held. Local

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

families in this predominantly pastoral community offer sheep and oversee cooking them in a gesture of thanks to

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. Other families offer bread as

thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

or for favors desired. Hundreds of people, mostly from said village, but a large number of other people as well, eat and drink to satiation together.

Venice

The Feast of Saint Mark (), also known as the rosebud festival ( Venetian: ''festa del bócoło''), is a festival in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

held on 25 April celebrating Venice's

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' Aramaic'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint Ma ...

. On this day, men traditionally give a single

rosebud Rosebud may refer to: * Rose bud, the bud of a rose flower Arts * The name of Jerry Garcia's guitar from 1990 until his death in 1995 * In the 1941 film ''Citizen Kane'', the last words of Charles Foster Kane and an overall plot device * "Roseb ...

to the women they love.Touring Club Italiano
"Guida d'Italia, Venezia"
1985. According to legend, the tradition originated in the 8th century, when a man of low social standing is said to have fallen in love with a noblewoman from Venice. In order to win her father's approval, he became involved in a distant war. He was mortally wounded in battle, but managed to pluck a rose from a nearby rosebush for his loved one. A companion was entrusted with returning the blood-stained rose to his lover.

Lithuania

In Lithuania, St. Mark is considered the guardian of earth and harvests. There was a ban on eating meat in order to have a good harvest. People avoided "touching the earth", i.e. no plowing or digging, to give the earth a rest before the upcoming hard work of planting and harvest.

Mexico

This festivity is celebrated in the city of

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

, Mexico on the same date. It gives name to one of the most celebrated festivities, the Saint Mark National Fair (Spanish:

Feria Nacional de San Marcos The ''Feria Nacional de San Marcos'' (National Fair of Saint Mark) is a national fair held in the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Aguascalientes every year for three (or sometimes four) weeks. Most of the events occur in the city of ...

) which runs generally for three weeks around this date. Also, in

Paraíso, Tabasco Paraíso is a town and municipalities of Tabasco, municipality located in the north of the Mexico, Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tabasco, about 75 km due north of the state capital of Villahermosa on the Gulf of Mexico. Much of ...

, Mexico, Saint Mark is celebrated the 25 April due to his patronage of that city.

References

{{Reflist

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

April observances Mark the Evangelist Christian feast days