Public holidays in Malta

Malta is the country with the most holidays in the European Union. Since 2005, any holidays falling on Saturdays or Sundays do not add an extra day to the workers' leave pool.

=National holidays=

* March 31 - Freedom Day ("Jum il-Ħelsien")
* June 7 - Sette Giugno
* September 8 - Victory Day ("Jum il-Vitorja")
* September 21 - Independence Day ("Jum l-Indipendenza")
* December 13 - Republic Day ("Jum ir-Repubblika")

Public holidays

* January 1 - New Year's Day ("L-Ewwel tas-Sena")
* February 10 - Saint Paul's Shipwreck ("San Pawl Nawfragu")
* March 19 - Feast of Saint Joseph ("San Ġużepp")
* Friday before Easter - Good Friday ("Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira")
* May 1 - Worker's Day ("Jum il-Ħaddiem")
* June 29 - Feast of Saint Peter & Saint Paul, patron saints ("L-Imnarja")
* August 15 - Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady ("Santa Marija")
* December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception ("Il-Kunċizzjoni")
* December 25 - Christmas Day ("Il-Milied")

Other holidays

All Saints' Day (November 1 - "Jum il-Qaddisin Kollha") and All Souls Day (November 2 - "Jum l-Erwieh") are not officially recognized, but kindergartens, primary and secondary schools assign them as holidays. The last two days of Carnival (Monday and Tuesday) are also school holidays. "Santa Marija" is especially popular with residents of the main island for family trips to Gozo, where the feast is celebrated in the capital, Rabat. The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady is celebrated in 11 parishes (Attard, Birkirkara, Dingli, Gudja, Għaxaq, Mġarr, Mosta, Mqabba, Qrendi, Rabat (Gozo) Żebbuġ). Good Friday is characterized by processions across the country, starting at around 3 p.m. and lasting for about four hours, where believers (sometimes wearing a hood) offer tribute to the Passion of Christ by carrying statue representations ("vari") of the Stations of the Cross (which are much heavier than the statues used in festas), and by carrying the cross (with or without wheels) themselves through part or all of the procession.

Remembrance Day is observed by the wail of sirens during the traditional two minutes of silence "at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" observed by all Commonwealth countries.

Most religious holidays are celebrated as traditional festas.

Traditional Feasts for 2008

January

January by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-bard" (the coldest month)

*New Year's Day ("L-Ewwel tas-Sena" or "L-Istrina"): 1 January
*Epiphany ("L-Epifanija" or "It-Tre Re"): first Sunday after 1st January
*St Anthony the Abbot ("San Anton Abbati"): 13 January at Rabat
*Conversion of St. Paul ("Il-Konverżjoni ta' San Pawl): 27 January at Mdina

February

Febrauary by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar ta' San Pawl" (St. Paul's month)

*Candlemas ("Il-Gandlora"): 2 February
*St. Blase ("San Blas"): 3 February
*St. Paul Shipwreck ("San Pawl Nawfraggu"): 10 February at Valletta and Marsalforn and 11 February at Munxar
*St. Valentines ("San Valentinu"): 14 February

March

March by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar ta' San Ġużepp, tal-Lunzjata u tar-roħs" (St. Joseph, the Annunciation and Sales' month)

*Jesus of Nazareth ("Ġesù Nazzarenu"): 7 March at Sliema
*Our Lady of Sorrows ("Id-Duluri"): 14 March
*Palm Sunday ("Ħadd il-Palm"): 16 March
*St. Joseph ("San Ġużepp"): 19 March but on 13 April at Rabat
*Good Friday ("Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira"): 21 March
*Easter ("L-Irxoxt"): 23 March
*Annunciation ("Il-Lunzjata"): 25 March

April

April is known by the Maltese as "ix-xahar tan-nwar u ta' San Girgor" (the month of blossoms and St. Gregory).

*April Fool's Day ("Il-Ġifa"): 1 April
*St. Gregory ("San Girgor"): First Wednesday after Easter Sunday
*St. Publius ("San Publju"): 6 April at Floriana
*St. George ("San Ġorġ"): 23 April at Qormi and Rabat (Victoria)

May

May by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-ħsad, tal-Madonna, u ta' Pompej" (The month of harvest, Our Lady and Pompey)

*St. Joseph the Worker ( [http://www.sanguzepphaddiem.com www.sanguzepphaddiem.com ] "San Ġużepp Ħaddiem" or "Jum il-Ħaddiem"): 1 May (with a feast at Ħamrun and Birkirkara)
*Our Lady of Liesse ("Il-Madonna ta' Liesse"): 1 May at Valletta
*Feast of the Cross ("Santu Kruċ"): 3 May at Birkirkara
*St. Augustine ("Santu Wistin"): 4 May at Valletta
*Liturgical Feast of St George Preca ("San Ġorġ Preca"): 9 May
*Holy Trinity ("Trinità Mqaddsa"): 18 May at Marsa
*St. Rita ("Santa Rita"): 22 May at Valletta
*The Annunciation ("Il-Lunzjata"): 25 May at Tarxien
*Corpus Christi ("Il-Korpus"): 25 May at Rabat
*Mother's Day ("Jum l-Omm"): Third Sunday of May

June

June by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tad-dris, tal-ħġejjeġ, ta' l-Imnarja, u tal-qalb ta' Ġesù" (the month of bonfires, St. Peter and St. Paul, and Sacred Heart).

*Our Lady of Fatima ("Il-Madonna ta' Fatima"): 1 June at Pietà
*St. Anthony of Padua ("Sant' Antnin ta' Padova"): 1 June at Birkirkara
*St. Joseph ("San Ġużepp"): 1 June at Għaxaq
*Christ the Redeemer ("Kristu Redentur"): 1 June at Senglea
*St. Philip ("San Filip"): 8 June at Żebbuġ, Malta
*Corpus Christi: 8 June at Għasri
*Sacred Heart of Jesus ("Il-Qalb ta' Ġesù"): 15 June at Fontana, Gozo
*Our Lady of Lily ("Il-Madonna tal-Ġilju"): 15 June at Mqabba
*St. Catherine ("Santa Katarina"): 15 June at Żejtun
*St. John the Baptist ("San Ġwann Battista"): 22 June at Xewkija
*Our Lady of Lourdes ("Il-Madonna ta' Lourdes"): 22 June at Qrendi
*Father's Day ("Jum il-Missier"): Third Sunday of June
*St. Nicholas ("San Nikola"): 29 June at Siġġiewi
*St. George ("San Ġorġ"): 29 June at Qormi
*Our Lady of Sacred Heart ("Il-Qalb Bla Tebgħa ta' Marija): 29 June at Burmarrad
*St. Peter and St. Paul ("San Pietru u San Pawl: L-Imnarja): 29 June at Mdina and Nadur
*St. John ("San Ġwann"): Fourth Sunday of June

July

July by the Maltese is known as "tal-Karmnu" (of Monte Carmel).

*Our Lady of Mount Carmel : 13 July at Fgura
*Our Lady of Mount Carmel ("Valletta"): 16 July
*Our Lady of Mount Carmel : 21 July at Zurrieq
*St. Anne ("Sant' Anna"): 26 July
*St. Venera ("Santa Venera"): 27 July
*Christ the King (Paola) Last Sunday of July

August

August by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-frott, ta' Santa Marija u ta' San Lawrenz" (The month of fruit, St. Mary and St. Lawrence).

*St.Peter in Chains ("San Pietru fil-Ktajjen"): 3 August at Birzebbuga
*St. Lawrence ("San Lawrenz"): 10 August
*The Seven St. Marys ("Is-Seba' Santa Marijiet"): 15 August
*St. Roque ("Santu Rokku"): 16 August
*The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist ("Il-Martirju ta' San Ġwann"): 29 August

eptember

September by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-Vitorja, tal-Bambina, u tal-Grazzja" (the month of Victory, the Nativity of Our Lady, and Our Lady of Graces).

*The Nativity of Our Lady ("Il-Bambina"): 8 September
*Our Lady of Graces ("Il-Madonna tal-Grazzja"): Sunday after 8 September
*The Name of Mary ("L-Isem ta' Marija"): 12 September

October

October by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tar-Rużarju" (Month of the Rosary)

*Our Lady of Rosary ("Il-Madonna tar-Rużarju"): different processions in different villages in Malta and Gozo in different days in October

November

By the Maltese, November is known as "ix-xahar ta' l-inżigħ tal-weraq, ta' l-erwieħ, u ta' l-imwiet" (the month of fallen leaves, of souls, and of deads).

*All Souls Day ("L-Ghid ta' l-Imwiet"): 2 November
*St. Martin of Tours ("San Martin"): 11 November
*St. Cecilia ("Santa Ċeċilja"): 22 November
*St. Catherine of Alexandria ("Santa Katarina ta' Lixandra"): 25 November
*Christ the King ("Kristu Re"): Sunday after 25th November

December

December by the Maltese is known as "ix-xahar tal-Milied u tal-Kunċizzjoni" (the Christmas and Conception month).

*Immaculate Conception ("Il-Kunċizzjoni"): 8 December
*St. Lucy ("Santa Luċija"): 13 December
*Christmas ("Il-Milied"): 25 December with its traditional procession with the statue of Infant Jesus
*St. Stephen ("San Stiefnu"): 26 December
*Innocent Saints ("L-Innocenti Martri): 28 December
*St. Silvester ("San Silvestru"): 31 December