Malta Festivals and Traditions
Your comprehensive guide to Everything Malta
Bands, processions, the ringing of church bells, firework displays, street stalls, street parties, extravagantly lit and decorated churches, intricate street decorations, confetti throwing, carrying of heavy life-size religious statues and authentic qubbajt (traditional nougats). The more spectacular the festa is the better. Year round preparations culminate in four days of merry-making. Loud, colourful and cheerful festas give bragging rights to the local village people about the level of devotion to their respective patron saint.
Click here for a list of dates of feasts around the Maltese islands in 2010.
Other fascinating festivities in Malta include:
Good Friday and Easter Sunday
These are very important religious dates in the local calendar. Good Friday processions across the islands involve the depiction of scenes from the passion and death of Jesus Christ and various characters dressed as biblical characters. The whole affair takes a very bleak and reflective atmosphere. Just two days later the atmosphere is completely the opposite for Easter Sunday. This is a day of jubilation where families go to Sunday Mass followed by processions bearing the Risen Christ (in The Three Cities the statue bearers actually run with the Statue). Then families get together for their sumptuous Easter Lunch with lamb for mains and the children can finally devour their Easter chocolate eggs and traditional figolla (an almond based cake).
Carnival (March/April)
Many tourists bump into this traditional feast by chance and absolutely love it. The activities are centred around Valletta in Malta and Nadur in Gozo. Carnival in Malta is a colourful mix of moving large satirical floats, dancers in extravagant costumes, locals in grotesque masks and ecstatic children wielding water guns ready to spray anyone in sight. It all needs to be taken with a pinch of salt and good humour or else it can turn into a rather annoying experience rather than the merrymaking opportunity it is set out to be.
