«The whole of Venice met outside, on the water... covering a vast expanse... thousands of gondolas had gathered together, each with ten, twenty, or even thirty coloured lights hanging all over them... As far as the eye could see these multi-coloured lights were amassed like a huge garden of multi-coloured flowers... there was music everywhere. Thus enveloped by music, magnificence and beauty I felt so inspired by the atmosphere and sights, that even I burst into song...»
20 July 1867
M. Twain, A tramp abroad
Tradition dictates that at sunset the well illuminated boats, decorated with boughs and coloured balloons, begin congregating in Saint Mark's Basin and the Giudecca Canal.
In the boat, there are either carefully prepared or hastily put-together tables laden with traditional Venetian dishes for dinner.
Everyone eats, drinks, dances and jokes whilst waiting for the firework display, which begins at 11.30pm and lasts until after midnight.
Then the boats slowly set off for home or for the Lido, to wait for sunrise.
To permit direct access to the Redentore a temporary bridge of boats (330 metres long) crosses the Giudecca Canal.
On Saturday and Sunday thousands of people cross the bridge to visit the church and, on Saturday evening, to see the firework display from the brightly lit banks of the Giudecca.
Traditionally, the inhabitants have dinner at long tables on the banks of the Giudecca Canal.
Whilst thousands of tourists watch the firework display from the banks of the Giudecca and along Saint Mark's Basin, Venetians traditionally watch it from their specially decorated boats which are illuminated with coloured paper lanterns.
The surface of the water is literally teeming with thousands of lights and boats.
The official religious festivities are concentrated over Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday at 10am, the cycle of religious activities begins with the "Holy Mass of the Cathedral Chapter and the nine Congregations of the clergy" which continues in the afternoon and has two vital moments at 7.30pm (after the official opening of the bridge) and at 0.30am (after the firework display).
Another 8 masses are held on the Sunday, including the solemn votive Mass presided over by the Patriarch and civic dignitaries; this ends in the procession with the Holy Sacrament and the blessing of the city.