With plenty of celebrations and holidays to enjoy throughout the year, Malta also has a great deal of festivities that center on religious themes and subjects. Starting on January 1, the country kicks off the New Year and doesn’t look back. The celebrations in Malta for the first day of the year are elaborate and spectacular. The merrymaking can truly reach impressive heights. In this article, you will encounter holidays, including the Feast of Saint Paul and Freedom Day.
January
The coldest month of the year in Malta is January and during this time, the people celebrate Epiphany on the first Sunday after January 1, St Anthony the Abbot, and the Conversion of St. Paul. Malta also celebrates New Year’s Day on the first of January.
February
February is referred to as St. Paul’s month, as the people prepare to celebrate the Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck in Malta. Paul is an apostle, who is the patron saint of the country. Other celebrations that take place in February are St. Blase and Candlemas.
March
The Maltese look at March as St. Joseph, the Annunciation and Sales’ month. It is during this month that the Feast of Saint Joseph is celebrated. Freedom Day also takes place in March, which marks the anniversary of the withdrawal of British troops and the Royal Navy from Malta , on March 31, 1979. If you go to the Birgu (Vittoriosa) waterfront, you will find a monument that was erected to commemorate the event.
April
The Maltese call April the month of blossoms and also dedicate it to St. Gregory, who is celebrated on the first Wednesday after Easter Sunday. St. Pulius and St. George are also worshipped during this month.
On the Friday before Easter (which sometimes occurs in April or March), Good Friday is observed. In fact, a couple of feasts move from April to March , depending on the year. They include Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, and Our Lady of Sorrows, which take place on the Friday before Palm Sunday.
May
In Malta, May is a pretty busy month for celebrations. It is also hailed as the month of harvest, as well as Our Lady of Pompeii. Other celebrations that take place in May include Our Lady of Liesse, Feast of the Cross, St. Augustine, Liturgical Feast of St George Preca, Holy Trinity, St. Rita, The Annunciation, St. Paul, and St. Anthony of Padua. Also, from mid-May until the second weekend of June, Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated.
On May 1, many countries around the world gather to celebrate to May Day (also referred to as International Workers’ Day), which celebrates the labor movement and left-wing movement that occurred around the world. At this time, it is commonplace to see working people take to the streets for demonstrations and marches. In more than 80 countries, May 1 is regarded as a national holiday, which many other countries unofficially celebrate the event. In Malta, St. Joseph the Worker is featured. In some places, a feast is held in his honor.