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 Popular Traditions |
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Malta is a predominantly Catholic country. As a result, the yearly calendar is generously and liberally sprinkled with public holidays and celebrations called festas. Festa time in Malta is always a time of merrymaking, food, drink, song, and camaraderie, as are the regular Christian celebrations.
The new year starts off with a huge bang in Malta on January 1. On this day, all throughout Malta there are huge and lavish New Year's celebrations, as big as they can get elsewhere in the world.
Between February and March, Malta celebrates the huge Carnival. This is not just any day at any ordinary fair; this is one whole week of fun, food, song, colored floats, costumed revelers, parties, the works! This is far from a temporary celebration; the first Carnival celebrations in Malta took place in the 1500s, soon after the Knights of St. John arrived in Malta. Additionally, the way the Carnival is done has changed very little from early beginnings. The actual dates that the Carnival falls on vary from year to year; as a rule, carnival Sunday is set such that it is 7 weeks before Easter Sunday. For great fun and partying, the Carnival in Malta cannot be beat.
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After the merriment of the Carnival, the somber and solemn Holy Week takes place, sometime in March or April (the actual dates vary yearly). The Holy Week is the climax of the Lenten Season which starts some time in February, generally after the Carnival has ended. The week is characterized by solemn religious services beginning Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. On Maundy Thursday, the locals visit various churches around Malta to pray and make offerings, and many establishments are closed on this day. On Good Friday, most, if not all, establishments are closed, as people commemorate the day of Jesus Christ's suffering with processions, solemn masses, and prayers. The solemn atmosphere quickly changes on Easter Sunday, which is a day of rejoicing and festivities, as the resurrection of Christ is commemorated. Families usually get together for picnics with relatives. As a sort of extension to the Easter celebration, the Feast of St. Gregory is observed on the Wednesday following Easter.
On the 29 th of June each year, the Maltese celebrate the feast day of St. Peter and Paul. This is the biggest summer celebration and goes back in history as something other than a religious celebration; in ages past, this day was a harvest festival. A favorite place to spend this day at is Buskett Gardens, a large wooded area in Dingli, on Malta Island.
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Finally, the second most important celebration takes place on Christmas Day on the 25 th of December. At this time of the year, Malta still retains a dry and comparably warmer climate, and the holiday season is a great time to travel through the islands, visiting villages and experiencing their brightly-lit and gorgeously decorated splendor. All throughout the country, one will see fully recreated scenes of the Nativity and richly decorated churches. There are also regular church activities such as processions and caroling. And keeping the holiday spirit alive and burning are cultural events, notably the annual Christmas Pantomime held at the famous Manoel Theater in Valletta .
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