Curious Florence: the Florentine New Year

Florence is a city that has always done things a little in its own way, as demonstrated by the fact that for 168 years it celebrated the New Year on a different day than the rest of Italy.
The Florentine New Year is celebrated on 25 March, the date corresponding to the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary.
Since the Middle Ages, the city of Florence celebrated the beginning of the new year on this date, and the Florentines, who were very attached to the Marian cult, did not want to change their tradition. So when in 1582, Italy converted to the Gregorian calendar, which set the New Year on January 1st, Florence stubbornly continued to follow the "Florentine" calendar.
There are therefore discrepancies in defining the dates up to the entry into force of the Gregorian calendar: for example, according to the Florentine calendar, after December 31 of 1400 followed January 1st of 1400, not 1401, because the year remained the same until March 24 of 1400, followed by March 25, 1401, when the two calendars synchronize. A great chaos for historians.
This went on until 1749, when the Grand Duke Francesco III of Lorraine imposed the change on the Florentines by means of a decree. A plaque affixed to the wall inside the Loggia dei Lanzi recalls the historical moment in which the city conformed to the rest of Italy after more than a century and a half, therefore starting to celebrate New Year at the beginning of January.

Since 2000, however, the Municipality of Florence has dusted off this significant tradition and inserted Festa del 25 Marzo among the official celebrations. Every year there is a parade of the historical procession of the Florentine Republic, from the Palagio di Parte Guelfa to the Church of Santissima Annunziata, founded by the Servants of Mary in the 13th century and the main Marian shrine of the city. In fact, the fresco depicting the Annunciation, symbol of this festival, is kept here.
Legend has it that when the author of the painting, Fra Bartolomeo, was commissioned to paint the Annunciation on the wall of the Oratory, he did not know how to represent a suitable face for the Virgin and while he was mulling over what to do he fell asleep. When he woke up, he found the painting miraculously completed, as if painted by a divine hand.
In addition to the parade, other events and exhibitions are held in the city, so during this time of the year, keep an eye on the initiatives!

Happy New Year Florence!