Bàtare Marso — the Ancient Venetian New Year

The Ancient Venetian New Year

Bàtare Marso (also called "ciamare Marzo" or "brusare Marzo") re-enacts the ancient Venetian New Year, when the calendar had ten months and the year began on March 1st. A tradition that Veneto maintained until the Napoleonic conquest in 1797 and which in Montecchio Maggiore, in the province of Vicenza, is revived by the Pro Loco Alte Montecchio.

The Rite of Awakening the Land

According to ancestral beliefs, the beginning of the new year coincided with the start of agricultural work, and the land had to be awakened from its winter sleep through the "bàtare marzo" rite: calling spring and waking the fields with songs and noises. It is a rite found in many areas of Veneto, from the Asiago Plateau to the plains.

Processions and Celebration in the Square

The event comes alive with two processions of participants in peasant attire, departing from Largo Boschetti and Via Parri, converging in Piazza Marconi. Here, traditional music, street games, and tastings of peasant flavours take place: sopressa and pan biscotto, poenta and scopeton, pamojo, mulled wine and chocolate.

A Festival that Preserves the Language

Bàtare Marso is also an opportunity to promote the local Venetian language and traditions, passing them on to new generations. It is an event of identity that links Montecchio Maggiore to the peasant culture of the Vicenza area.