We’re in the beginning of May meaning that we’re on the door step of experiencing once again the village feasts in Gozo. The village feast or in Maltese the village ‘festa’ is a religious celebration that is organised by the local parish. Every village celebrates its feast and they are held in honor of the local patron saint. Locals start preparing from months before in order to make their village ‘festa’ a better one than the previous year. This is a great way for locals to unite and organise the best outdoor festivitites, band marches and firework displays (which we are well known for). Churches will have nicely lit facades for the occasion and internally they will be decorated with flowers, damask curtains and chandeliers. The village ‘festa’ will normally be celebrated for one week. On the last day, one can experience the titular statue of the village’s saint paraded in the decorated streets. The village centre and the nearby streets will be packed with locals, visiting family members, spectators from other villages and tourists. Feasts are mainly characterized by popular band marches but there are quite some villages who organise horse racing during this week. Horse racing is held in the streets of the locality and one can say that it has become a popular activity during the summer religious festivals.
Village feasts are a must see this summer!
The festive season in Gozo will start in the last weekend of May in the small beautiful village of Munxar. Munxar locals celebrates the Shipwreck of Saint Paul with the last ‘festa’ of ‘Our Lady of Graces’ being celebrated the first Sunday after the 8th of September. Every village has its own particular way how to celebrate their much awaited ‘festa’. All gozitan village feasts are well organised and visited by lots people with the feast of ‘Santa Marija’ celebrated in Victoria considered the most popular. It is celebrated every 15th of August and it is a National Public Holiday. Click here for full list of Gozo village feasts 2016. If you are tempted in experiencing these celebrations, we can offer you the best accomodation in Gozo.
