Maltese Village Festa, an annual community celebration (Malta)
Nomination: Representative List 2023
EN: The procession around town with the saint followed by the bands and the people is a highlight of the festa. In this picture Our Lady of Mount Carmel is accompanied by the band through the streets of the town of Żurrieq
EN: Seasoned volunteer pyrotechnicians preparing the fireworks for the Feast of St. Joseph to be detonated later in the day from a safe distance in the fields near the town of Għaxaq
EN: During the festa streets are decorated with colourful and ornate draperies, statuary and lighting. In this picture young volunteers are hoisting handmade banners for the festa in the rural town of Siġġiewi under the watchful gaze of their mentor
EN: Bandmaster leading one of the rehearsal sessions held throughout the year in preparation for the festa at the St Catherine Band Club in Żurrieq
EN: Traditional nougat (qubbajd) is sold during the local festa in characteristic wooden stalls. Many vendors will move from festa to festa throughout the festa season. In this picture father and son minding their stall waiting for the band to march past
EN: Maltese festi feature elaborate ground firework installations mounted on complex mechanical apparatuses by highly skilled volunteer engineers. Here, a jubilant volunteer pyrotechnician celebrates as the fireworks synchronize harmoniously with the mechanical parts propelled by the fireworks themselves
EN: Women participate in the lifting and carrying of the statue through the streets during the festa of St Joseph for the march of the Statue of the Holy Family in Kalkara
EN: Festa organizations started to organize children’s festi before the actual festa as a means to introduce children to the cultural significance of the festa and aid in the transmission of the element. In this picture children are carrying a miniature replica of the vara of St. Nicholas
EN: The statue of St Augustine being carried through the streets of the capital city by the lay confraternity of Our Lady of Consolation as part of the ‘The Big Feast’ organized by the Valletta 2018 Foundation bringing together the four feasts of the city
EN: During the week of the festa band clubs also hold a number of band concerts in the local squares on elaborately carved bandstands produced by the community members themselves such as in the case of the Saint Lawrence Band Club in Birgu
