Feast of St Mark

The Feast of Saint Mark commemorates Mark the Evangelist and takes place on April 25.

Local observances and customs

Italy

In Tresnuraghes, a small village in the Sardinian region of Italy holds a traditional Sardinian feast, the most important one, which is a time of excess consumption that helps solidify the social community. Local shepherd families in this predominantly pastoral community offer sheep and oversee cooking them in a gesture of thanks to Providence. Other families offer bread as thanksgiving or for favors desired. Hundreds of people, mostly from Tresnuraghesi, but a large number of outsiders as well, eat and drink to satiation together.^[1]

In Venice, St.Mark is the city's saint patron, and the 25th of April is a city holiday.

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

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.^[2]

Mexico

In Paraíso, Tabasco, Mexico, Saint Mark is celebrated the 25 April due to his patronage on such city.

References