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While the world revels in excitement over the birth of Prince George, I thought I’d share photos of another George: St. George, venerated dragon-slayer and one of the patron saints of Qormi, Malta.
Each summer, Malta explodes with festas — celebrations of the patron saints of each town. Each town has its own festa, or sometimes multiple festas if they have multiple patron saints. People celebrate with processions, music, and confetti, and fireworks cover the island for the better part of the summer.
Some days I fell asleep to midnight fireworks and was woken up by another round at 8:00 the next morning!
And yet these festas are so different from the saints’ feasts that I’ve been to in Italy and Boston’s North End. Nothing even comes close to Malta.
My friends Alex and Marika invited me to the town of Qormi (OR-mi) to experience the festa of St. George. I soon learned that I was massively underdressed — festas are the prime time of year to see and be seen. The Maltese put on their best outfits and get their hair done.
I spent the afternoon taking picture after picture of the dolled-up locals walking down to the square — but got quickly instructed by Alex to wait until it got dark and the real photogenic moments presented themselves.
They weren’t lying. It got photogenic pretty fast.
Qormi was lit up along the saint’s route, covered with bright lights, angel statues, and red and gold banners. And the church?
Every edge of the church was covered in lights.
Windows in Qormi were filled with icons of St. George entangling with the dragon.
Soon we found the procession. A group of men dressed in white carried a heavy wooden statue of St. George, carrying it several steps before pausing to rest.
During the whole time, onlookers threw confetti from the tops of the roofs.
We soon headed into the church to see St. George arrive. Remember what I said about Maltese churches? Check this one out.
That is one of the two official churches of a town with a population of less than 20,000. No expense was spared. The Maltese consider it both an honor and a duty to donate money to the local church, and as a result, they have incredibly ornate interiors dripping in gold.
In fact, a Maltese lady won the lottery a few decades ago and donated a portion of her winnings toward buying a gold halo for St. George. Does that sound crazy? Not to the Maltese. This would be expected.
Soon, St. George was brought into the church to great fanfare. People clapped, cheered and sang.
He was nestled into his little alcove, where he will remain for the rest of the season.
And with that, the evening came to an end. The music shut down, the street vendors closed, and the only confetti remaining was that which covered the streets. It was an evening I’ll never forget.
If any festas are taking place during your time in Malta — and especially festas taking place in small towns — I highly, highly recommend you go experience them for yourself.
A few days later, I went to the Festa of the Sacred Heart in Sliema, a big city that is one of the most popular tourist areas, and while it was lovely, it was a completely different experience. It didn’t feel old-fashioned or intimate — or special. In Qormi, I felt like I was part of the community and sharing a secret; in Sliema, I was just another gawking tourist.
Do try to experience a Maltese festa. They really are like nothing else in the world.
Essential Info: The Festa of St. George in Qormi takes place on the last Sunday in June. The Festa of St. Sebastian, Qormi’s other patron saint, takes place on the third Sunday in July.
For a full calendar of Malta’s festas, check out this page.
I stayed with friends in Qormi. You can find the best prices on hotels in the area here.
I used World Nomads travel insurance during my trip to Malta. I always recommend buying it before any trip – it will protect you financially in case anything goes wrong.
I am blown away by every single one of these pictures. Photogenic indeed! Any celebration with that much confetti and fireworks looks good in my book. I’ve never been to a celebration quite like this one, but I was in Rome for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I was living right by the Vatican, so you can imagine how excited people were for it. It was like a huge block party, complete with lots of Shakira’s music, which I was just not expecting. Haha.
Thanks very much! That sounds like a ton of fun.
That is a really awesome church. I’m not big on religion, but European churches blow me away in how ornate and grand they are.
And the Maltese ones are the best ones of all!
espacially our’s!!! we love it and we love our saint ! saint george!
Those photos are just so atmospheric. Malta is definitely up on my places to visit!
It’s been lovely following your journey!
I absolutely love these photos! And someday I hope to see a Maltese festa… looks like so much fun.
What a great, unique experience! The photos look spectacular Kate!
Sounds like a really cool experience, and your photos capture it all so well!
The night time festa looks absolutely magical! The girl throwing the confetti is my favorite picture–it shows pure joy and celebration! What a special celebration with your fiance 🙂
A festa dedicated to a dragon slayer? God, Malta is so badass 🙂
Your talking about Saint George. Mind your language. Don’t worry we don’t need any badass like you to come to Malta.
Hi Kate! I just discovered your blog when your twitter handle came up in my list of suggested “Who to follow”. So glad it did, because I love your blog!
I also write a travel blog, although not in the league that yours in in! Feel free to drop by and tel me what you think: http://www.thewolfwilltravel.com
I have just clicked “follow”, and am so looking forward to your upcoming adventures!
Love from Paris!
Chantal
This looks like such a fabulous experience! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a church covered in lights before like that. So festive. Your photos are absolutely gorgeous!
Seeing a festa was one thing I missed in Malta – but they sound so crazy fun! Next time. Yes.
This is the first time I’ve read ‘badass’ used in connection with a festa… and come to think of it…it fits. Greetings from Malta. And of course… thiss went on my Facebook wall.
This one is another awesome blog. The photos are perfect. Looks like it’s a beautiful place to visit. I’m not into religion but would love to celebrate the festa of St. George since it looks fun and exciting.
Dear Kate
I would like to thank you for sharing this splendid article and excellent photos on our beloved parish and feast dedicated to Saint George.
Best regards
Edmond Apap, Qormi – Malta
St George’s Day is of course also celebrated in the UK (so in Malta it is probably a remnant from colonial times), however the Brit’s celebrations tend to involve less cultural celebrations and more beer drinking. 😉
St. George has been celebrated in Malta way before the British came. In fact the Parish of St. George was founded in 1536 while the British came in 1800.
wow, there’s nothing like being in a destination when there is a local festival, it looks amazing, I love local parades it’s the best opportunity to photograph something truly unique.
The little girl trying to catch the confetti is my daughter. Her aunt saw it and sent me the link. Great picture. Thanks.
No way, Carmeline! What a small world. She looked like she was having a wonderful time. 🙂
First up, well done for your representation of Malta.. I loved this article and the orher one about Malta in general.. Very accurate and very comprehensive… I live in the UK and that article encapsulated all I live about my homeland (you probably guessed by now that I am Maltese!).
Just one little detail…. Most statues carried in festas are made of papier mache (kartapesta) not wood.. It is only a couple that are made of wood.. One of them of St. Sebastian.
I appreciate that, Marija! Thanks for the correction, I had no idea that was papier-mâché!
There are many good people in Malta, but having a lot of churches does not mean Malta is more catholic than other countries. Take their driving behaviour; apart from the unselfish drivers who show respect to one another on the road, the rest behave very uncatholic when they are behind the wheel. Whenever i visit, as a pedestrian, i get the feeling a lot of them are trying to make sure i do not return to Australia.