by Toppin' Up
As we’ve been doing for the past summer months, it's time again for another instalment of 5 village festas to check out during the month of August.
With it being one of the busiest periods with regards to travelling and tourism in general, August also boasts a number of festas across the Maltese Islands.
Whether you happen to be in Malta or in Gozo, we’ve picked out something for everyone to enjoy and possibly get a taste of a whole new experience that is, the Maltese traditional festa!
Here’s our list:
1
Valletta, Malta
7 August
The festa of St Dominic is truly an experience as you get to experience a Maltese festa within the heart of the capital city of Valletta.
The city which got its standing title of Malta’s capital in 1571, is home to around 5,800 people and is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
St Dominic is not the only festa celebrated here… in fact, Valletta hosts another 4 festas throughout the year.
2
Birgu, Malta
10 August
Birgu or Città Vittoriosa used to be Malta’s capital city before Valletta. It covers an area of around 0.5km2 and is home to around 2,400 people.
The festa of St Laurence is one of two major festas in this city with the festa of St Dominic being held towards the end of the month.
People from Birgu are called Ġirbin and the area is usually a touristic hotspot due to the various museums and cultural aspects found in the area.
3
The Assumption of Our Lady (Santa Marija)
15 August
This is a truly particular festa that we had to change its title within this list.
“Why?” we hear you ask…
Well simply put, it’s one of the biggest and most celebrated festa, with even other countries such as Italy stopping on the day for what they refer to as Ferragosto.
However, locally, Santa Marija is celebrated in these villages: Birkirkara, Mqabba, Gudja, Attard, Mosta, Qrendi, Victoria (Gozo), Zebbug and Ghaxaq. So, the question is where to go!
4
Birkirkara, Malta
21 August
With a population of over 24,000 inhabitants, Birkirkara is without any doubt one of the biggest residential areas in the Maltese Islands. The Karkariżi are known for their festa dedicated to St Helen of Constantinople.
The town’s history goes back to the early 15th century and it was even bigger with places like Msida, Sliema, St Julians and Hamrun all coming out of Birkirkara’s territory as time went by.
It is twinned with 3 Italian cities and one in France too.
5
Għajnsielem, Gozo
28 August
Ending August is Għajnsielem’s Our Lady of Loreto festa. The town of Għajnsielem, which translates to Peaceful Spring, is home to around 2.9K people referred to as Għajnsilmiżi.
The Island of Comino falls directly under the watchful eyes of the Għajnsielem Local Council which feels like a natural choice with both being in direct line of sight from one another.
Għajnsielem is the first village on the right just after the Mġarr harbour and is also known for Bethlehem f’Għajnsielem – a Christmas live crib organised in December, with many residents pitching in their time and efforts for locals and tourists to visit.
Now that you know about these festas, will you be visiting any of them?
Let us know via our socials!
