This article provides information about Malta and things to do in Malta during your Easter holidays.
Easter time is the most important time of the year for the Roman Catholic Church and is therefore a very exciting and colorful time for the Maltese people due to their deeply held religious values. Being in Malta during this period allows you to see Maltese culture come alive as it celebrates the resurrection of Christ. It’s no surprise that visitors to the island are busy clicking their cameras to capture these creative and emotional scenes on film, as it’s a unique experience well worth seeing.
maltese easter traditions
Following the close of the colorful carnival celebrations that take place just before Lent, the Easter period begins. The beginning of Lent takes place on Ash Wednesday, where the burnt ash from the palms is rubbed on the forehead of the faithful as a sign of repentance. In Maltese, this period is known as ‘Ras ir-Randan’, where the word ‘ras’ means head, linking it to the rubbing of ashes. Lent is marked by fasting, usually from meat and sweets, either for the entire period or on selected days of the week, and repentance. In fact, Ash Wednesday is such an important day in the Maltese calendar that it is a school holiday for all children.
It is common for every village to have a ‘Wirja tal-Mejda tal-Apostli’, which is a display of ‘Tables of the Apostles’ ranging from miniatures to life-size models of the apostles having the Last Supper with Christ. The models are usually very artistic and realistic and vary from town to town. In addition, people also displayed figures of Christ and the apostles on their windowsills. Many signs are put up for both Maltese and tourists in order to find their way to the exhibits.
During this period, the decorations within the 100 of the churches spread across the Maltese islands take a different approach in both color and design and are filled with ornaments, flowers and candles. On Holy Thursday the churches remain open in the afternoon and families gather to attend the traditional ‘Seven Visits’. Here, families would travel to seven different churches of their choice to pray and kneel before Christ. Another tradition related to Holy Thursday is that the church bells, which are often heard ringing in towns, do not ring again until Easter Sunday.
Traditionally on Good Friday there would be a homily that would last 3 hours! This, however, is no longer commonplace. On Good Friday, the decorations change once more and the churches remain fairly empty, until Saturday night, when the flickering of the candles begins the resurrection celebrations leading up to the Easter Vigil around 11am on Sunday. Easter. There are various processions and parades that take place throughout the day, all over the island!
On Easter Sunday, unlike the bare and dark atmosphere of Good Friday, there is an explosion of light and candlelight. The processions are led by a statue of Jesus Christ holding a flag, and sometimes include entire Bible stories. It is also common for people in penance to join the procession carrying heavy weights or walking barefoot. This procession is then followed by a large Maltese family lunch, traditionally made up of lamb, baked potatoes and local vegetables.
Traditional Maltese Sweets
During their holidays in Malta, tourists can also experience a wide variety of traditional food, as the shops and vendors are full of local delicacies. The ‘figolla’ is probably the most popular and was traditionally given to all children after Sunday lunch. However, it is now distributed throughout the Easter period to all children and adults! La Figolla is a sweet baked stuffed with almond paste, covered in icing. These become Christian symbols, such as birds and fish, but other shapes, such as cars, rabbits, and hearts, have also become popular. Easter eggs and rabbits are also given to children during this time of the year. During Lent the ‘Kwarezimal’ is also popular and is made up of almonds, milk, flour, black honey and spices. There are two types of bread that are traditionally attributed to this period, the ‘Sfineg’ and the ‘Qaghaq’. The first is a type of flat, circular bread made from mixed flour and semolina, then coated with honey and fried in oil. The latter is a circular loaf with a hole in the middle that has almonds scattered on top. Hot cross buns and caramel sweets are also very popular during this period.