2024 has already begun… or has it?
Well, if you plan a vacation in Tuscany and head to a villa in Florence, you might be surprised to find that the city’s traditional New Year’s celebrations have actually not yet happened…
In Florence, New Year’s is actually celebrated on March 25th! Of course, many ring in the new year on the 1st of January like the rest of us today but there are still celebrations and events to mark the event on the 25th of March as well.
Dating back to the mid-thirteenth century, Florence’s New Year was on the 25th of March, the Feast of the Annunciation, alone from 1250 until 1750. For most, when the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582, the New Year became synonymous with the 1st of January. Florentines, however, disapproved of the new almanac and did not adopt it for more than a century and a half.
While the 1st of January is now the official new year in the city, as it is elsewhere, the Feast of the Annunciation remains an important celebration and a day of special festivities. So, those who find a vacation rental in Florence this March can look forward to ringing in the new year yet again for 2024!
The celebrations of the day begin around 3pm with a parade of figures in historical dress from the Florentine Republic through the historic centre of the city from Piazza della Parte Guelfa right to the Piazza della Santissima Annunziata. Then people enter the Basilica of SS. Annunziata and pay their respects to the ancient fresco there of the Annunciation. Fireworks, markets, talks, parties, and other events will also take place over the course of the day and the whole city will be in a festive mood.
So, celebrate the beginning of 2024 yet again on holiday in Florence this March!