Maltese culture

Identity

The Maltese are a Mediterranean people with a Semitic-rooted language written in the Latin alphabet, a Catholic heritage and a long European political history. Identity is strongly local: people identify with their parish and village as much as with the nation, and the festa calendar structures the year.

Village festas and fireworks

Every parish celebrates its patron saint, mostly between May and September: band clubs, street decorations, the titular statue carried in procession and ground and aerial fireworks made by volunteer fireworks factories. Rival band clubs in the same village are part of the tradition.

Carnival and religious traditions

Carnival precedes Lent with floats in Valletta and the satirical night carnival of Nadur, Gozo. Holy Week brings Good Friday processions; Christmas features church cribs (presepji) and the midnight Mass sermon by a child; L-Imnarja (29 June) is a harvest festival at Buskett.

Music, art and architecture

Għana is traditional improvised folk singing with guitar; brass band clubs anchor every town; the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Teatru Manoel (1732) and the Mediterranean Conference Centre host the classical season. Baroque dominates church architecture (Lorenzo Gafà, Mattia Preti's work in St John's), while the traditional closed wooden balcony (gallarija) and honey-coloured limestone define the streets. Contemporary landmarks include Renzo Piano's City Gate and Parliament.

Literature and theatre

Maltese-language literature flourished from the twentieth century (Dun Karm Psaila is the national poet); theatre runs in Maltese and English at the Manoel, St James Cavalier (Spazju Kreattiv) and local halls.

Food

See the food guide: pastizzi, ftira, rabbit stew, timpana, bigilla, Gozitan ġbejniet cheeselets, local wine and Kinnie.

Museums and cultural institutions

Heritage Malta runs the national museums and sites; Festivals Malta and Arts Council Malta programme the cultural calendar. See the heritage database.

Social customs

Greetings are warm and informal; English is fine everywhere but a "bonġu" or "grazzi" is appreciated. Sunday lunch, the evening passeggiata on the promenade and the summer festa are social fixtures; shops close for part of Sunday and for the main feast days.