Colors of Monza - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Monza lives an eventful cultural life. During the year, a lot of interesting holidays and festivals take place here. In mid-June, the beautiful carnival dedicated to patron saint John the Baptist is annually held. This holiday is traditionally celebrated on 24 June. Actually, the locals start celebrating it two weeks before this day. In the city streets, colorful carnival processions everyone can take part in are held.

For the holiday, the citizens prepare beautiful costumes in the historic style. During the carnival, you can participate in the competition for the most beautiful historic dress. Besides festive parades, you can enjoy street performances and sports competitions. You can also visit music concerts and theatrical performances. The integral part of the holiday is fairs where you can buy interesting souvenirs and taste popular regional dishes. On the last day of the carnival, on 24 July, the firework is arranged in the territory of Villa Reale.

In June, the locals celebrate another symbolic holiday dedicated to patron saint Gerard. He lived in Monza in the second half of the 12th century. The holiday is traditionally celebrated on 6 June, on the day of Saint Gerard’s death. A lot of wonderful legends are associated with the patron saint. The day he died coincides with an old pagan holiday, the Cherry Day. According to one legend, in winter, Saint Gerard found the basket of fresh cherries and shared it with the citizens. Since that time, cherries have been one of the main symbols of the holiday, on this day, cherry fairs are often held in the city. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In recent years, the Royal Park in Monza has turned into an outdoor culture center. During the year, a lot of holidays and festivals take place here. The season begins with an annual aviation festival held in April. In the park, themed exhibitions dedicated to the history of aviation are organized. The guests of the festival can enjoy a lot of different entertainments. Everyone can fly in a hot-air balloon above the city and see its landmarks from a bird’s eye view. One of the favorite children’s entertainments is the launching of balloons.

Monza is mostly famous for the annual Formula-1 race. In the city, there is one of the most famous race tracks in the world. The Autodromo nazionale di Monza is a venue for motor racing. In recent years, it has become a popular attraction. The local track is an important historic landmark. It was built in the 20s of the last century.

Originally, there were only two race tracks. In 1928, there was a serious car crash during the race. Over 20 fans standing at the track died. This tragedy provoked the reconstruction of the race track but the efforts haven’t prevented other accidents. Many famous car racers died here. Today, beside Formula-1, the biggest motorbike contest in the world is held on the car track. It will impress all fans of fast driving.

It is very interesting to visit the city during national holidays. Wonderful entertainment events take place during Christmas or the New Year. In the first winter month, city streets are decorated with fabulous lights. In the main streets and squares, traditional Christmas fairs where you can buy a lot of unique items are held. Handicrafts and Christmas handmade toys are very popular with tourists. At fairs, you can also taste meat delicacies and special sweets that are not cooked in other seasons.

It should be also noted that Monza is a big pilgrimage center. Local religious attractions attract thousands of tourists. More admirers of religious traditions visit the city in March when the Annunciation is celebrated. This holiday was first celebrated on a grand scale in 1937. Over the years, it has gained the status of an international holiday. Today, the holiday is celebrated on the first Sunday after 25 March and goes hand in hand with a colorful fair. Here, its visitors can buy interesting toys, handicrafts, and traditional sweets. One of the main symbols of the holiday is necklaces of baked chestnuts named “firun”.