Maltese Feasts – the islands’ most visual cultural festivities

Array

Religious feasts or ‘festas’ are an important part of Maltese culture and tradition held throughout the year across both Malta and Gozo. Festas are both religious and profane, being organized by the local parish together with local band clubs, and are an iconic part of the Maltese summer with church ceremonies, massive firework displays, processions with marching bands and great revelry.

Each festa typically has the same structure. Five days of festivities revolving around the patron saint of each parish build up to the weekend feast itself. In addition to elaborate church ceremonies, band marches are an integral part of the celebration as bands performing festa favourites, many composed by local maestros, march through the streets followed by crowds.

Devotional church services include nine-day novenas to the saint, asking for blessings andprotection. The ceremonial highlight of any festa is the carrying of the statue of the parish saint. Festa devotees bid for the privilege of hoisting the statue out of the church and onto a prominent place in the village square, paying big money for the honour and privilege of carrying the statue. All monies raised go to a charity or to defer some of the expenses incurred in the celebration of the Festa.

The crowd-pullers are however the fireworks displays, the culmination of the evening lighting up the night sky to the sound of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd. Malta is well known for its pyrotechnic ability, showcased at the village feast where villages vie with each other for the most colourful and noisiest fireworks.

Food stalls line the streets serving everything from candy floss and hot dogs to traditional fare – healthy eating is not a feature of the village feast. Try some mqaret – sinfully delicious deep fried date cakes. Another local treat is nougat sold from traditional dark wooden stalls with antique weighing scales to serve the sugary treat.

Lively and colourful, festi are a much-awaited occasion in the village’s social and religious calendar of great community importance.In Malta and Gozo, the village church is the pride of each villager. Inside the church, a bevy of activity takes place. Walls are hung with red damask, the silverware is brought out and polished and the crystal chandeliers are cleaned to a sparkle. The statue of the parish patron saint which occupies a niche in the church is decorated and displayed.

Flags are flown from rooftops and statues are placed all around the village, banners are hung out, and coloured lights are strung across roads. It is really the most beautiful time to visit a village, when everything comes alive with celebrations.

Festa frenzy reaches every home; front rooms are scrubbed and polished, entire homes often get a new lick of paint. The neighbours will be out in full force and relatives who have moved to other villages and even emigrated overseas descend upon the village, getting together with their friends and extended family, the proud housekeeper ensures that her home appears perfect.

The importance of festas in village life seems to be increasing rather than diminishing with time, becoming epic celebrations that everyone visiting Malta needs to experience at least once. It’s so easy to get caught up in the atmosphere and with all the young people in their festival t-shirts and the dancing and drinking it can be easy to forget that these are actually religious celebrations.

A detailed program of each localfeast is usually found on the relevant village parish and band club websites. Local tour operators often arrange evening festa excursions especially to coincide with the feast of the Assumption or simply ‘Santa Marija’ on the 15th August. Another favourite is Our Lady of Victories held on the 8th September, celebrating the defeat of the Turks at the end of the Great Siege of 1565 which also coincides with the end of Blitz in Malta and with the feast of the Birth of the Madonna. The highlight of this great day is the Regatta (boat race) held in the Grand Harbour. Both are great times to visit Malta if you can take the summer’s heat!

Enjoy the experience and do not be alarmed if you are woken up by loud bangs – Malta is not at war, it’s only festa petards being let off for your entertainment!