The “Festa delle Marie” (The feast of the twelve Venetian brides “Maries”) is nowadays an event which marks the official start of the Venice Carnival.
It has its origin in a historical event, as it remembers the annual tribute offered by the Doge to some beautiful and humble Venetian maidens: the dowry for their wedding.
It also represented the first phase of a beauty contest that articulated for ten days of Carnival (the 12 girls were selected in the previous weeks) and culminated with the proclamation of the “Maria del Carnevale”, on the afternoon of the Mardì Grass.
The prize: the Mary of the Carnival won the title of the Angel that came down from the bell tower of St. Mark next year’s Carnival.
Claudia Marchiori, the young woman who won the 2016 edition of “Festa delle Marie” was the Angel of the Carnival 2017 held on February 18.