- Public holidays in Malta
Malta is the country with the mostholidays in theEuropean Union . Since2005 , any holidays falling on Saturdays or Sundays do not add an extra day to the workers' leave pool.*
March 31 - Freedom Day ("Jum il-Ħelsien")
*June 7 -Sette Giugno
*September 8 - Victory Day ("Jum il-Vitorja")
*September 21 - Independence Day ("Jum l-Indipendenza")
*December 13 - Republic Day ("Jum ir-Repubblika")Public holiday s*
January 1 -New Year's Day ("L-Ewwel tas-Sena")
*February 10 - Saint Paul's Shipwreck ("San Pawl Nawfragu")
*March 19 - Feast ofSaint Joseph ("San Ġużepp")
* Friday before Easter -Good Friday ("Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira")
*May 1 - Worker's Day ("Jum il-Ħaddiem")
*June 29 - Feast ofSaint Peter & Saint Paul, patron saints ("L-Imnarja")
*August 15 - Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady ("Santa Marija")
*December 8 - Feast of theImmaculate Conception ("Il-Kunċizzjoni")
*December 25 -Christmas Day ("Il-Milied")Other holidays
All Saints' Day (November 1 - "Jum il-Qaddisin Kollha") andAll Souls Day (November 2 - "Jum l-Erwieh") are not officially recognized, but kindergartens, primary and secondary schools assign them as holidays. The last two days ofCarnival (Monday and Tuesday) are also school holidays. "Santa Marija" is especially popular with residents of the main island for family trips to Gozo, where the feast is celebrated in the capital, Rabat. The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady is celebrated in 11 parishes (Attard ,Birkirkara ,Dingli ,Gudja ,Għaxaq ,Mġarr ,Mosta ,Mqabba ,Qrendi , Rabat (Gozo) Żebbuġ).Good Friday is characterized by processions across the country, starting at around 3 p.m. and lasting for about four hours, where believers (sometimes wearing a hood) offer tribute to the Passion of Christ by carrying statue representations ("vari") of theStations of the Cross (which are much heavier than the statues used infesta s), and by carrying the cross (with or without wheels) themselves through part or all of the procession.Remembrance Day is observed by the wail of sirens during the traditional two minutes of silence "at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" observed by all Commonwealth countries.Most religious holidays are celebrated as traditional
festa s.Traditional Feasts for 2008
January
January by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-bard" (the coldest month)
*New Year's Day ("L-Ewwel tas-Sena" or "L-Istrina"): 1 January
*Epiphany ("L-Epifanija" or "It-Tre Re"): first Sunday after 1st January
*St Anthony the Abbot ("San Anton Abbati"): 13 January at Rabat
*Conversion of St. Paul ("Il-Konverżjoni ta' San Pawl): 27 January atMdina February
Febrauary by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar ta' San Pawl" (St. Paul's month)
*Candlemas ("Il-Gandlora"): 2 February
*St. Blase ("San Blas"): 3 February
*St. Paul Shipwreck ("San Pawl Nawfraggu"): 10 February atValletta andMarsalforn and 11 February atMunxar
*St. Valentines ("San Valentinu"): 14 FebruaryMarch
March by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar ta' San Ġużepp, tal-Lunzjata u tar-roħs" (St. Joseph, the Annunciation and Sales' month)
*Jesus of Nazareth ("Ġesù Nazzarenu"): 7 March at
Sliema
*Our Lady of Sorrows ("Id-Duluri"): 14 March
*Palm Sunday ("Ħadd il-Palm"): 16 March
*St. Joseph ("San Ġużepp"): 19 March but on 13 April at Rabat
*Good Friday ("Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira"): 21 March
*Easter ("L-Irxoxt"): 23 March
*Annunciation ("Il-Lunzjata"): 25 MarchApril
April is known by the Maltese as "ix-xahar tan-nwar u ta' San Girgor" (the month of blossoms and St. Gregory).
*April Fool's Day ("Il-Ġifa"): 1 April
*St. Gregory ("San Girgor"): First Wednesday after Easter Sunday
*St. Publius ("San Publju"): 6 April atFloriana
*St. George ("San Ġorġ"): 23 April atQormi and Rabat (Victoria)May
May by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-ħsad, tal-Madonna, u ta' Pompej" (The month of harvest, Our Lady and Pompey)
*St. Joseph the Worker ( [http://www.sanguzepphaddiem.com www.sanguzepphaddiem.com ] "San Ġużepp Ħaddiem" or "Jum il-Ħaddiem"): 1 May (with a feast at
Ħamrun andBirkirkara )
*Our Lady of Liesse ("Il-Madonna ta' Liesse"): 1 May atValletta
*Feast of the Cross ("Santu Kruċ"): 3 May atBirkirkara
*St. Augustine ("Santu Wistin"): 4 May atValletta
*Liturgical Feast of St George Preca ("San Ġorġ Preca"): 9 May
*Holy Trinity ("Trinità Mqaddsa"): 18 May atMarsa
*St. Rita ("Santa Rita"): 22 May atValletta
*The Annunciation ("Il-Lunzjata"): 25 May atTarxien
*Corpus Christi ("Il-Korpus"): 25 May at Rabat
*Mother's Day ("Jum l-Omm"): Third Sunday of MayJune
June by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tad-dris, tal-ħġejjeġ, ta' l-Imnarja, u tal-qalb ta' Ġesù" (the month of bonfires, St. Peter and St. Paul, and Sacred Heart).
*Our Lady of Fatima ("Il-Madonna ta' Fatima"): 1 June at Pietà
*St. Anthony of Padua ("Sant' Antnin ta' Padova"): 1 June atBirkirkara
*St. Joseph ("San Ġużepp"): 1 June atGħaxaq
*Christ the Redeemer ("Kristu Redentur"): 1 June atSenglea
*St. Philip ("San Filip"): 8 June atŻebbuġ, Malta
*Corpus Christi: 8 June atGħasri
*Sacred Heart of Jesus ("Il-Qalb ta' Ġesù"): 15 June atFontana, Gozo
*Our Lady of Lily ("Il-Madonna tal-Ġilju"): 15 June atMqabba
*St. Catherine ("Santa Katarina"): 15 June atŻejtun
*St. John the Baptist ("San Ġwann Battista"): 22 June atXewkija
*Our Lady of Lourdes ("Il-Madonna ta' Lourdes"): 22 June atQrendi
*Father's Day ("Jum il-Missier"): Third Sunday of June
*St. Nicholas ("San Nikola"): 29 June atSiġġiewi
*St. George ("San Ġorġ"): 29 June atQormi
*Our Lady of Sacred Heart ("Il-Qalb Bla Tebgħa ta' Marija): 29 June atBurmarrad
*St. Peter and St. Paul ("San Pietru u San Pawl: L-Imnarja): 29 June atMdina andNadur
*St. John ("San Ġwann"): Fourth Sunday of JuneJuly
July by the Maltese is known as "tal-Karmnu" (of Monte Carmel).
*Our Lady of Mount Carmel : 13 July at
Fgura
*Our Lady of Mount Carmel ("Valletta"): 16 July
*Our Lady of Mount Carmel : 21 July atZurrieq
*St. Anne ("Sant' Anna"): 26 July
*St. Venera ("Santa Venera"): 27 July
*Christ the King (Paola) Last Sunday of JulyAugust
August by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-frott, ta' Santa Marija u ta' San Lawrenz" (The month of fruit, St. Mary and St. Lawrence).
*St.Peter in Chains ("San Pietru fil-Ktajjen"): 3 August at
Birzebbuga
*St. Lawrence ("San Lawrenz"): 10 August
*The Seven St. Marys ("Is-Seba' Santa Marijiet"): 15 August
*St. Roque ("Santu Rokku"): 16 August
*The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist ("Il-Martirju ta' San Ġwann"): 29 Augusteptember
September by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-Vitorja, tal-Bambina, u tal-Grazzja" (the month of Victory, the Nativity of Our Lady, and Our Lady of Graces).
*The Nativity of Our Lady ("Il-Bambina"): 8 September
*Our Lady of Graces ("Il-Madonna tal-Grazzja"): Sunday after 8 September
*The Name of Mary ("L-Isem ta' Marija"): 12 SeptemberOctober
October by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tar-Rużarju" (Month of the Rosary)
*Our Lady of Rosary ("Il-Madonna tar-Rużarju"): different processions in different villages in Malta and Gozo in different days in October
November
By the Maltese, November is known as "ix-xahar ta' l-inżigħ tal-weraq, ta' l-erwieħ, u ta' l-imwiet" (the month of fallen leaves, of souls, and of deads).
*All Souls Day ("L-Ghid ta' l-Imwiet"): 2 November
*St. Martin of Tours ("San Martin"): 11 November
*St. Cecilia ("Santa Ċeċilja"): 22 November
*St. Catherine of Alexandria ("Santa Katarina ta' Lixandra"): 25 November
*Christ the King ("Kristu Re"): Sunday after 25th NovemberDecember
December by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-Milied u tal-Kunċizzjoni" (the Christmas and Conception month).
*Immaculate Conception ("Il-Kunċizzjoni"): 8 December
*St. Lucy ("Santa Luċija"): 13 December
*Christmas ("Il-Milied"): 25 December with its traditional procession with the statue of InfantJesus
*St. Stephen ("San Stiefnu"): 26 December
*Innocent Saints ("L-Innocenti Martri): 28 December
*St. Silvester ("San Silvestru"): 31 December
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