Public Holidays
Everyone loves a day of rest. The local people of the Maltese archipelago love holidays, and nobody says no to some relaxing time. In fact Malta enjoys a long list of public holidays.
Keep in mind that on these days, most shops and offices are closed so plan ahead.
1st January – New Year’s Day
On this day, people celebrate the new year, where they hope for new beginnings. Some even make resolutions to improve on themselves and their lives.
In Gozo, New Year’s Eve activities would be organised at the capital city, Rabat, to welcome the new year. In such activities, there would be mainly live band performances, entertaining the public who attends such activities. Of course, to welcome the new year there would be the countdown followed by fireworks at midnight. People also pop champagne bottles and have a drink or two to celebrate.
On the other hand, on New Year’s Day, it is a tradition that families gather for lunch to celebrate the new year and hope for a better year than the one that has just ended.
10th February – St Paul’s Shipwreck
Roman Catholic is the official religion in Malta. The vast majority of the population (around 90%) hold this religion, which was brought to the Maltese islands by St Paul apostle in the year 60AD. St Paul was on his way to Rome when the ship he was on was caught in a storm and was wrecked on the Maltese coast. St Paul, along with the other 274 passengers, swam safely to land. During his stay in Malta, he converted the Maltese people to Roman Catholicism.
Up to this day, St. Paul’s feast, which is celebrated on the 10th February, is an important feast in Malta and is also a public holiday. In Gozo, the village of Munxar celebrates this feast and holds a number of activities related to it, both in church as well as outside church. Church activities include special masses and prayers. On the other hand, those held outside church include fireworks and band marches.
19th March – St Joseph
St Joseph’s Day is the principal feast day of St Joseph, Virgin Mary’s husband and father of Jesus Christ. It has a rank of solemnity in the Catholic Church.
31st March – Freedom Day
Freedom Day is the holiday which commemorates the anniversary of the withdrawal of British troops and the Royal Navy from Malta.
Good Friday
Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death on the Calvary. The date of this day varies from one year to another and it falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday. Certain villages across the island commemorate this by processions representing the story. Click here to read about the processions held in different villages in Gozo.
Easter Sunday is a Christian holiday which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Most villages across the island organise a procession with a statue of the Risen Christ which goes around the village core. Certain villages hold this in the morning while others hold it in the early evening.
Traditionally, people bake and eat figolli as a traditional Easter sweet, which is mainly a sweet dough filled with finely crushed almonds and decorated. As for lunch, once again families gather to share a lunch which would traditionally be lamb, which is the animal associated with Easter.
1st May – Workers’ Day
Workers’ Day is a celebration of the workers and the working class. In Malta and Gozo, this feast serves as a reminder of the value of fair labour and laws and employees’ rights.
7th June – Sette Giugno
As the name suggests, the Sette Giugno falls on the 7th of June. The Sette Giugno is a national holiday in Malta, which commemorates the events which happened on the same day in 1919. On that day, there were riots which are said to be the first steps towards the independence of the Maltese islands.
On the 7th of June, Gozo commemorates the events which happened on the day in 1919 through a re-enactment.
29th June – Feast of Saints Peter & Paul
Mnarja is the feast of St Peter and St Paul, which is celebrated on the 29th June. It is a very popular feast across the Maltese islands and is also a public holiday. In Gozo, this feast is celebrated in Nadur. Activities related to this feast go on for 2 whole weeks in advance of the feast.
15th August – Assumption of Mary
The importance of this feast is related to the country’s history during the war. Due to the daily heavy bombardment from enemy aircrafts, the country’s stockpiles of food, medicine and ammunition were almost extinguished. On the 15th August, the convoy of Saint Mary was towed inside the safety of the Grand Harbour. Despite numerous attacks along the way, and a large rupture in the bow, the fully stacked tank arrived at destination with the help of two destroyers, one on each side, which basically were keeping it afloat.
In Gozo the feast’s of Saint Mary is organized in the town of Rabat, the capital city of Gozo. No bother to expenses is done. This is due to the feat’s historical importance, and also as a sense of competition with the feast of Saint George, which is organized in the same town.
8th September – Victory Day
The feast of the 8th September celebrates the birth of the Virgin Mary. This day also has historical ties to it, which is the reason why it is also called Victory Day.
In 1565, Malta was governed by the Knights of St John and was besieged by a strong army of the Ottoman Empire, which aimed to establish a base in Malta and crush Christianity across Europe. The siege carried on for 5 months and when they were on their knees, the Turkish Army left Malta’s shores beaten on the 8th of September. This is known as the Great Siege of Malta.
In 1943, Malta had already been fighting for its survival for 3 years during the Second World War where the Italian Air force was continuously attacking Malta with bombs. On the 8th September 1943, the siege was lifted when Italy ceded the war.
In Gozo, this feast is celebrated in the village of Xagħra.
21st September – Independence Day
On 21st September, Malta celebrates the day when it gained independence from the United Kingdom on 21 st September 1964. Throughout history, Malta had a long history of foreign rulers. Malta’s final ruler, the United Kingdom, granted Malta self-governance after Malta’s bravery during World War II. Malta attained independence from the British Empire and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1964 and declared itself a republic on 13th December 1974, which is known as Republic Day.
8th December – Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on the 8th of December. Since the island of Gozo is mostly Christian in religion, the 8th December was also declared a public holiday. This particular celebration is practiced in many villages around Gozo. A special mass is celebrated, followed by a procession with the statue. Street decoration, fireworks, and sweet vendors depends on the organisation of the village would also be present.
13th December – Republic Day
Republic Day is an annually celebrated national holiday that commemorates the day Malta became a Republic State on the 13th December 1974, after it gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 21st September 1964. This day also marks the election of Malta’s first ever president, Sir Anthony Mamo.
25th December – Christmas Day
25th December celebrates Christmas day, the birth of Jesus Christ. To celebrate Christmas, Gozo organizes several activities throughout the month of December, such as parades, Christmas markets, marches, concerts, entertainment for the families and much more. On Christmas eve villages across Gozo hold processions related to the Nativity of Jesus Christ.