The Feast of San GrigorThe Feast of St Gregory, or San Grigor, falls on the Wednesday following Easter Sunday. A religious procession will leave the parish church. Orignally the route of the pilgrimage used to be a long one commencing from Mdina and was led by the Bishop of Malta.Nowadays the route has been shortened. The procession starts at the tiny chapel of St Clement on the outskirts of Zejtun. The origins of this procession are lost in time, but according to local tradition it was first held as a thanksgiving to God for his intervention to halt the Bubonic Plague which killed some 11,000 Islanders between 1675-6. After the religious procession, people head towards the nearby fishing village of Marsaxlokk on the south-east coast of Malta. The day then becomes an outing; families picnic and socialise.Many years ago, the Maltese used to consider St Gregory’s Day a major feast. So much so that on their marriage day, the groom had to promise to take his bride to Zejtun for the feast.L’Imnarja: Summer Folk FestivalThe feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29th June marks an important event in the calendar of Maltese popular customs and traditions. It is a country harvest and folk festival as well as a religious holiday. It dates back even further than the arrival of the Knights of St John in 1530. The festival is named L’Imnarja, a corruption of the Italian ‘Luminara’ and means festival of light. It is named after the bonfires that used to light up the festivities in the towns of Mdina and Rabat. Today, the feast is marked by events at nearby Buskett. It is a sociable and fun affair: families and friends picnic almost all day and night in Buskett Gardens, Malta’s largest area of natural woodland.Wine flows, food such as the traditional rabbit dish is consumed and the night passes with singing, guitar playing and music by local folk bands. The day after, the celebration continues with an agricultural show followed by bareback horse and donkey races at Saqqajja Hill below Mdina. The winners are awarded colourful banners to take proudly home to their villages.L’Imnarja, along with the Feast of St Gregory, was considered many years ago as a principal feast on the Islands. It was the custom that in a marriage contract the groom had to promise the bride to take her to the Buskett evening celebration after they were married. Victory Day: 8th SeptemberThe 8th September is a special public holiday because it commemorates in fact three events. It is the religious feast celebrating the birth of the Holy Virgin, Maria Bambina; it is the day on which the Great Siege of 1565 ended; and is also the day on which the Italian navy capitulated to the British at the during the Second World War. The feast is celebrated in the villages and towns of Senglea, Naxxar, Mellieha and Xaghra on Gozo. A rowing regatta is held every year in Grand Harbour on the day to commemorate the Great Siege. This tradition was started in 1642, but it became an annual event from 1878. The regatta is both a competitive event and great fun for participants and spectators. Traditional rowing boats from six harbour towns compete on a mile-long course from Marsa to the Customs House below Valletta. This colourful event is a source of great local pride.
The feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29th June marks an important event in the calendar of Maltese popular customs and traditions. It is a country harvest and folk festival as well as a religious holiday. It dates back even further than the arrival of the Knights of St John in 1530. The festival is named L’Imnarja, a corruption of the Italian ‘Luminara’ and means festival of light. It is named after the bonfires that used to light up the festivities in the towns of Mdina and Rabat. Today, the feast is marked by events at nearby Buskett. It is a sociable and fun affair: families and friends picnic almost all day and night in Buskett Gardens, Malta’s largest area of natural woodland.Wine flows, food such as the traditional rabbit dish is consumed and the night passes with singing, guitar playing and music by local folk bands. The day after, the celebration continues with an agricultural show followed by bareback horse and donkey races at Saqqajja Hill below Mdina. The winners are awarded colourful banners to take proudly home to their villages.L’Imnarja, along with the Feast of St Gregory, was considered many years ago as a principal feast on the Islands. It was the custom that in a marriage contract the groom had to promise the bride to take her to the Buskett evening celebration after they were married.
The 8th September is a special public holiday because it commemorates in fact three events. It is the religious feast celebrating the birth of the Holy Virgin, Maria Bambina; it is the day on which the Great Siege of 1565 ended; and is also the day on which the Italian navy capitulated to the British at the during the Second World War. The feast is celebrated in the villages and towns of Senglea, Naxxar, Mellieha and Xaghra on Gozo. A rowing regatta is held every year in Grand Harbour on the day to commemorate the Great Siege. This tradition was started in 1642, but it became an annual event from 1878. The regatta is both a competitive event and great fun for participants and spectators. Traditional rowing boats from six harbour towns compete on a mile-long course from Marsa to the Customs House below Valletta. This colourful event is a source of great local pride.