Besides
the local parochial ‘festas there are others
which are celebrated on a national scale. The
‘lmnarja’ (a corruption of Italian
‘luminaria’ - illumination), a Harvest
festival which is celebrated on June 29, is characterised
by a night-long picnic at Buskett Gardens, Rabat
on the eve of which the native dish, stewed rabbit,
is consumed in large quantities, accompanied by
equally large volumes of wine. Exhibits of local
agricultural produce, band marches, decorated
carts and folklore singing competitions enliven
the night-long proceedings. The following day,
the festivities reach a climax when bare-back
donkey and horse races are held in the street
leading to Rabat. The prizes awarded for these
races are ‘palji’ (brocaded banners)
which the winners traditionally donate to their
village church.
The 8th September Regatta held in Grand Harbour,
celebrates Malta’s victories during the
Great Siege of 1565 and the Second World War.
The magnificent Fort St. Angelo provides an imposing
backdrop to the sleek and colourful Maltese boats.
Rowing teams from the cities bordering Grand Harbour
take part in a number of very exciting races,
marked by extreme rivalry between the participating
teams and their respective supporters.
The Maltese really let their hair down in the
revelry of Carnival in mid-February. The main
defile takes place in the capital, Valletta, but
in every town and village children dress up in
colourful clothes and cover their faces in masks
or make-up to camouflage their identity. The Valletta
defile is very spectacular containing as it does
many floats of a high professional standard.
The Maltese people - friendly and relaxed
Visitors to Malta are invariably struck by the
rare sense of hospitality and friendliness of
the Maltese people. The Apostle Paul, who was
shipwrecked off Malta in AD 60, was probably the
first long-stay winter visitor to the Island and
the hospitality shown him by the locals is well
recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Two thousand
years later Maltese hospitality remains as warm
and as unaffected as it was then. The Maltese
welcome the company of foreigners and being helpful
to them comes naturally. Also, they take great
interest in what is happening in the rest of the
world, and, with their flair for languages, communication
with visitors is easy. They have an admirable
sense of humour and like most Mediterranean people,
tend to be rather jovial. These qualities endear
the Maltese to the foreign visitor.
The pace of life in Malta
It is generally said that foreigners are tourists
in Malta only on their first visit; on their second
and subsequent visits they return to Malta as
their established friends.
The pace of life in Malta is very relaxed by
European standards. The Maltese enjoy life and
their broad smiles tell you that they are happy
people. They find great strength and unity in
their common language, religion and strong family
ties. |
