MALTA

The Maltese Islands, one of the most charming destinations in the Mediterranean, offer the traveller a unique holiday experience. Blessed with year-round sunshine and set in crystal clear waters, Malta and its sister islands of Gozo and Comino, can be a fascinating setting for a truly memorable vacation. The islands’ numerous cultural, artistic and natural treasures are there to be discovered and are all within easy access from wherever one chooses to stay. Malta’s outstanding archaeological and architectural heritage will act as an impressive backdrop to all of one’s activities - a living testimony of 6,000 years of civilisation. The legacy of the various dominations who ruled over the islands throughout the ages can be seen, felt and savoured. Whether one seeks action or relaxation, tranquility or excitement, one can find it in Malta. For lovers of music, theatre and the arts, Malta boasts an abundant calendar of cultural manifestations and events. 

For the sportive visitor, the islands offer golf, tennis, sky-diving, horse-riding, and unlimited possibilities for water-sports - from sailing to windsurfing and the best scuba diving in the Mediterranean. Malta is a feast for the senses: delicious local cuisine and wines, bustling open air markets, traditional fireworks extravaganzas, delicate lace and multicoloured glassware, the thrills of the casino... All of this and more awaits the fortunate traveller who decides that it’s time to say: It’s Malta! 

Public Holidays 

The following is the list of national holidays: 

31 March - Freedom Day A commemorative ceremony is held at the War Memorial at Floriana. During the afternoon, traditional regatta boat races are held in Grand Harbour. 

7 June - Sette Giugno Commemorative Ceremony at Palace Square, Valletta , in remembrance of the incidents of the 7th June 1919. 8 September - Victory Day Commemorative ceremony in Valletta , to celebrate the lifting of the 1565 siege against the Turks, the capitulation of the French in 1780, and the siege of the Axis powers in 1943. the traditional colourful and keenly contested boat race or regatta, is held at the Grand Harbour in the afternoon. Festivities are also held at Senglea, Naxxar and Mellieha in Malta and at Xaghra in Gozo. 

21 September - Independence Day Malta attained its Independence in 1964. A full programme of activities takes place in various localities. 

13 December - Republic Day Malta became a Republic in 1974 by resolution of the House of Representatives. Celebrations, including horse races at Marsa, are held to commemorate the event. 

The following is the list of public holidays: 

1 January - New Year's Day 

10 February - Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck Feast of St.Paul’s Shipwreck This feast commemorates the shipwreck of St.Paul in Malta in 60 A.D. an event registered in the Acts of the Apostles. 

19 March - Feast of St Joseph St. Joseph Feast celebrated at Rabat. 

April - Good Friday This is a day of general mourning: cinemas, places of entertainment and offices are kept closed. Good Friday pageants are held at about 17.00hrs in 14 different towns and villages. During these pageants, a number of life-size statues depicting scenes from the passion and death of Jesus Christ are carried shoulder high in procession along the main streets of the particular locality. Men and women personifying Biblical characters from the Old and New Testament, dressed in period costumes, take part in the processions. 1 May - Worker's Day The feast of St. Joseph the Worker is also celebrated. 

29 June - Feast of St Peter and St Paul Known in Maltese as 'Mnarja '. This is a traditional folkloristic event. The festivities open on the eve of Mnarja with open-air folk-singing and a musical programme at Buskett Gardens which continues up till the early hours of the 29th day of June. Maltese dishes are served for the occasion with fried rabbit being a tradional speciality of the evening. On the 29th, activities at Buskett continue with band marches and an agrarian exhibition. During the afternoon, traditional horse races are held at Saqqajja Hill, Rabat. The word Mnarja is derived from Luminarja (illumination), when Mdina, Malta’s medieval capital, was illuminated by bonfires for the occasion. 

15 August - Feast of the Assumption Festivities are celebrated at Mqabba, Qrendi, Gudja, Ghaxaq, Attard, Mosta and Victoria in Gozo. 

8 December - Feast of the Immaculate Conception 

25 December - Christmas Day Yuletide in Malta is primarily the season for family parties. Young boys and members of a lay Catholic organisation participate in the evening processions of December 24, with the statue of Baby Jesus held in all towns and villages. The highlight is the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, during which a child relates the story of the nativity. Banks and shops do not open on public and national holidays. Some shops, especially in tourist areas, will open as usual. 

Time in Malta 

Malta is on central European Time (CET), that is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in winter and two hours from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. The islands are six hours ahead of Eastern Seaboard Time (EST) in winter and seven ahead from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in September.