As the celebrations of Holy Week and Easter are of a religious character, people flock to Mass in big numbers to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

Holy Week commences on the Friday preceding Good Friday, when the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows is carried in a procession through the streets of Valletta and many other towns and villages. During this time, the Maltese flock to the churches in great numbers. On Maundy Thursday, the ‘seven visits’ take place, which are the visits to seven different churches, to pay homage to the Altars of Repose.

Good Friday gives a sombre outlook, as churches are deprived of the traditional ornamental style. Instead, red is the dominant colour, symbolising the Blood of Christ.

Late in the afternoon, some 17 different towns and villages commemorate the Passion of the Christ with a solemn procession of statues. Each of these statues represents a particular episode in the Passion of the Christ and is carried by bearers. Between one statue and another (some ten in all) participants are dressed as biblical characters who take part in the procession in a dignified manner. Many processions include men in penitence bearing a cross and sometimes dragging chains as well tied to their bare feet as penitence.

The situation entirely transforms the following day, when bells toll as they break the night’s silence in order to announce the Resurrection of Christ. Mid-morning on Easter Sunday, a procession with a statue of the Risen Christ moves around the streets close to the church. At the end, the way is cleared and the statue-bearers take a run to carry the Risen Christ triumphantly back into the church.

Easter day is traditionally celebrated with a family lunch and is a time to visit relatives and friends, exchanging gifts. It’s also tradition to give children Easter eggs and a ‘figolla’, (almond-filled pastry, covered in icing).

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