Each year, Venice celebrates the ceremony of the wedding to the sea, 40 days after Easter, according to the calendar of the Catholic Church.

Sunday 29 May, together with the marriage of the sea and Venice introduced the "Adriatic twinning" with Odessa. As per tradition, Venice announces a new twinning. During the ceremony, the six mayors of the provincial capitals of the Veneto region, Belluno, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Verona, Vicenza, returned the doge's ring symbol of the previous 2021 twinning to Venice. The city gave it to Odessa, represented by the Ukrainian ambassador to Italy Yaroslav Melnyk on behalf of the mayor Gennady Trukhanov.

A choice born from the heart, to reiterate how close Venice is to Odessa and that, even if with a symbolic gesture, is at his side in this difficult moment. You are defending not only your freedom, but also ours and Venice, which is the city of the world and can only support you. The history of our two cities has some common features, starting from a close link with the sea. This is why it is an honour to deliver the doge's ring to Odessa with the hope that this terrible war will end as soon as possible.

Luigi Brugnaro, mayor of Venice

It is an honour for me to receive the invitation of the mayor of Venice to the twinning on the occasion of the Festa della Sensa. For all my fellow citizens it is a strong sign of closeness and hope for a future of peace. We are suffering severely from the war but gestures like these are a further invitation to fight to defend freedom. Thanks also to the Mayor for supporting the candidacy of the historic center of Odessa as a World Heritage Site.

Gennady Trukhanov, mayor of Odessa (teleconference)

The city of Venice has not only immediately welcomed Ukrainian women and children, giving them assistance and hospitality, but has openly declared itself to be alongside Ukraine. In the municipal offices, in addition to the flag of the city, of Italy and of the European Union, our banner also flies. We really want to thank all citizens for this concrete signal.

Yaroslav Melnyk, Ukrainian ambassador to Italy

History of the ceremony

The Festa della Sensa is one of the oldest events in Venice with more than a thousand years of history behind it. It celebrates the Serenissima's relationship with the sea: dominion and homage to the element that made it one of the commercial and political powers of the Mediterranean from the 14th to the 18th century.

Even today it is one of the most heartfelt Venetian traditions in which all citizens participate: hundreds of rowing boats participate in the naval procession. The culmination of the celebrations is on the Lido with the ceremony of the wedding of the sea: in the presence of the bishop, the mayor (once he was the doge) throws a ring into the sea (once it was gold) as a symbol of the union between Venice and the sea.

Today, the procession is held on the Sunday following Ascension Day (in Venetian dialect "sensa"), which is held 40 days after Catholic Easter.