{"id":381,"date":"2018-01-02T21:06:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T21:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cultoural.com\/wp\/?p=381"},"modified":"2018-01-06T20:18:23","modified_gmt":"2018-01-06T20:18:23","slug":"regatta-delle-befane-venice-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultoural.com\/wp\/en\/2018\/01\/02\/regatta-delle-befane-venice-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Regatta delle Befane’ – Venice, Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Every 6th of January, since a few decades ago, a curious and fun event is held in Venice: the \u2018Regatta delle Befane\u2019. More than a sport activity, this represents a cultural get together where locals and tourists alike meet on the Grand Canal and near the Rialto Bridge to see a competition unique in its kind. There the protagonists dress as old and kind witches: with skirts, wigs and brooms faced up that crown their boats.<\/p>\n

Although the channel is full of curious people and athletes who want to test their performance, only 5 individuals are chosen as official competitors of this event. The objective? Demonstrate the skills, strength and speed to be crowned with the victory in the first regatta of the year in a city where more than a hundred competitions of this nature are held yearly.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect to see the gondolas since the boat used for the ‘Regatta delle Befane’ is known as ‘mascareta’ and is distinguished by its small size and its form of navigation using just one oar.<\/p>\n

Organized by the historic club ‘Cannotieri Bucintoro’, this activity has as its starting point the Palazzo Dolfin Manin (Bank of Italy) and ends at the Rialto Bridge, where the awards ceremony takes place and a festive atmosphere is enjoyed, accompanied by the delights served by a group of women called the \u2018Pink Lioness’.<\/p>\n

The figure of the Befana, key in the Italian folklore, is the one in charge to visit the homes of the smallest ones the night previous to the epiphany (January 6) and, unlike the traditional witches, it is usually characterized as an old woman who flies on a broom and carries both a big smile and a sack full of surprises for the children: candies, chocolates and gifts for those who have behaved well, and coal for those who had a bad behaviour during the year.<\/p>\n

From Cultoural.com we invite you to include this activity in your trip to Venice, take the opportunity of being part of this fun tradition and also enjoy this iconic city with a much colder weather than usual and areas without the expected masses of tourists present in other seasons.<\/p>\n