Everything is ready for the 580th edition of the Marriage of the Sea, the celebration with which Cervia has renewed its bond with the Adriatic Sea for almost six centuries. This year too, the celebrations will open on Friday 10 May at 9pm at the “Walter Chiari” municipal theatre, with the traditional concert of the Grande Orchestra Città di Cervia, conducted by maestro Fulvio Penso.
The Orchestra, made up of over 45-50 professional and amateur musicians, is preparing with a renewed programme, including classical and modern pieces by authors such as Rodgers, Von Suppé, Grieg, J. Strauss Jr, Puccini, De Curtis, Di Capua and Bernstein. The concert will see the participation of the tenor Alessandro Moccia.
The program of the 2024 edition of the Marriage of the Sea will continue on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th Maydays during which history, culture, gastronomy and shows will be the protagonists which every year characterize the traditional festival so loved by the people of Cervia and appreciated by visitors and tourists.
This year’s guest city, the Venetian Cortina d’Ampezzo, popular ski resort united with Cervia by the strong tourist appeal, by the sporting vocation and by the care and valorisation of natural beauty. The host city will be the protagonist of the Ring ceremony on Saturday 11 May at 11am in Garibaldi Square (in the municipal theater in case of bad weather), where the exchange of gifts between the two cities will take place and where a preview of the historical procession will take place, with the actors Maria Pia Timo and Vito in the role of the Lady of the Ring and the Podestà.
Rich and tied to tradition program for Ascension Sunday, Sunday 12 May. The day is dedicated to the long-awaited celebration of the ancient rite at sea and to the challenge of ring fishing where young people from Cervia compete for the “trophy” which promises luck and prosperity. In the morning the Trofeo dell’Anello in Piazzale dei Salinari at 10am and the “Sea and Fishing” heritage walk, starting from the Torre San Michele at 10.30am.
From 4pm, in Piazza Garibaldi, the performance of flag-wavers, musicians and standard-bearers, representing the districts of the Niballo Palio of Faenza, and the parade of figures in historical costumes precede the solemn blessing of the ring by Archbishop Lorenzo Ghizzoni. At 5.15pm the procession historian of the figures and the authorities will move towards the canal port, where among the cheering crowd the boats wait to go out into the open sea to renew the ancient rite of marriage with the Adriatic. Also in this case, Maria Pia Timo and Vito, great friends from the city of Cervia, will wear the costumes of the Lady of the Ring and the Podestà.
Big news 2024: it will be possible to follow the ceremony live on Facebook and on the big screens in Piazza Garibaldi and on Lungomare D’Annunzio – Tourist port.
L’purchase of tickets for motorboats it is only possible online on the Municipality’s tourist website at the link https://www.turismo.comunecervia.it/it/eventi/manifestazioni-e-attivative/sagre-feste/sposalizio-del-mare.
The proceeds will be entirely donated to the Busignani retirement home.
For info: Iat Torre San Michele office – via Evangelisti 4, tel. 0544974400 – [email protected]
Marriage of the Sea program 2024
