Venice starts the year with the Regata delle Befane (Race of witches); in February the great passion of Carnival begins: twelve days of folly all over the city. Once in a life you have to live it!. On 25th April, St. Mark's day, the patron saint of the city, and for the occasion men usually give a rosebud ("bòcolo") to their loved one; the second Sunday of May, the declaration of love is made to the city: it’s the feast of the "Sensa" (the Ascension), a procession of boats, Venice renews its rite of marriage to the sea, a tradition which goes back to 998.