The plague of 1630–31 killed something close to a third of the city, and the Republic vowed a church if it ended. Baldassare Longhena's Santa Maria della Salute at the mouth of the Grand Canal is that vow, and every 21 November a temporary bridge of boats is laid across the canal from Santa Maria del Giglio so that Venetians can walk to it and light a candle.
The day's food is castradina, a mutton dish from the Dalmatian trade that kept the city supplied during the quarantine.
No attendance figure is published.
The date is fixed at 21 November, occasionally misfiled in October. This is the most purely local of the Venetian feasts: it falls in low season, on whatever weekday it lands, and the queue across the votive bridge is almost entirely residents.
PlanningFixed on 21 November, not in October: a working weekday feast in low season.