Ever since we moved to Malta, everyone we met told us to make sure we attend as many Festas (religious and social events for every village, town and city) in Malta that we can. Little by little, we were educated on what they are. They are religious feasts commemorating the various saints throughout Malta. Religious services, songs and carrying around very heavy statues of the myriad of saints here. And it goes without saying, that they are huge social events as well. Marching bands, much food and drink, and some of the very best fireworks in the world. The Maltese absolutely go bonkers over fireworks. You see and hear them all year, day and night.

Most of the activities take place at night. As each Festa can go on for four or five days, nighttime works best for people who must work by day; also, since most Festas occur in the summer, when it can be very hot and humid. Concerts and band marches through villages usually happen after 9PM, ending up around midnight. And they end with fireworks displays that can last around one hour.

Unlike other parts of the world, Festas are complete family affairs. No matter the hour, the very old and the very young take part. After that, more talking and drinking with your village neighbors until 1AM or later. Only to do it for four more nights.

Ħal Balzan has two very good band clubs: Socjeta Filarmonika Marija Annunzjata (founded 1890) and Kazin tal-Banda San Gabriel (founded in 1920). (See my earlier blog on band clubs to learn more about them.) They work very hard all during the year to put on this really great festival. But, it’s not all work. Both have great bars and restaurants, serving wonderful food, good drink, and even better conversations.

On some nights, the bands will be marching throughout the narrow village streets, with their sounds resonating all over the village. People come out of their homes, to watch and cheer on the bands. Certainly, too noisy to sleep.

Preparations for the Festa take place almost a year. They start to put it all together a few weeks before the event. Lights are strung up across many of the village streets. Later, very colorful banners will be strung up, giving off a very festive feeling. Also, the band clubs will place wooden statues along way. And as the festival is about to start, vendors will set up all manner of food stalls along the routes of the marches, as well as in the town square. Bars and restaurants will put out extra tables in the square, welcoming their neighbors to have a seat, a drink and some seriously good pizza. (As Malta is next to Sicilly, great Italian food can be assured.)

 

The fireworks in Ħal Balzan are not your ordinary aerial fireworks. A few years back, the Ħal Balzan fireworks factory went up in fire. Due to many factors, they have not replaced it. In its place, they put on what is called ground fireworks. Using metal frames of differing shapes, they wrap explosives around the frames. When lit up, they cause the frames to spin around in wonderful shapes and colors. Not having the sound of aerial fireworks, they nonetheless have great appeal because you can get very close to them. And the colors and movement are quite spectacular. They work very hard to put on the very best show possible. I think there is a bit of jealousy as Ħal Lija’s fireworks are considered world class. 

We really enjoyed our first Festa. Can’t wait to attend the Ħal Lija festival in early August. They are reputed to be the Maltese masters of aerial fireworks! 

Enjoy our experience through these pictures.

We were just sitting on our balcony, after dinner,  enjoying the night. And it dawned on us that the moon was starting to disappear, without any clouds. After a quick check, we found out that it was a partial lunar eclipse. Surprise. It was to take about an hour and a half. So, I grabbed my camera, and started shooting. The first  picture of the full moon was taken the night before.
For those of you in North America, who couldn’t see the eclipse, enjoy, too! And remember, this eclipse was 50 years to the day of the Apollo 11 launch to the  moon.

 

 

Immigration, taxes, health care, trust, nice. Are Maltese taught helpfulness and nice, or is it baked in? Being surprised is obvious. Getting hit with a velvet pillow is astounding. We landed in Malta, excited and looking forward to our life in retirement. We knew and expected that things would be different here. Perhaps, nothing at all like life in the United States.
It all started here the first time we took our daily mode of transport- the bus. It was crowded, with nothing but standing room. Sort of what a sardine must feel like, looking out of its can. Then, almost immediately, three people stood up, offering me their seats. There is a rule that seniors should be offered a seat. Never heard about much of that happening in Seattle, especially with everyone’s head stuck in their phone or tablet.
As I wasn’t feeling old, I was about to turn them down, but realized that they genuinely wanted to offer me their seat. Every single time we got on a full bus, with standing room only, someone always offered me their seat. Welcome to Malta. Knock, knock, can I come in? The answer was a resounding yes.

The first order of business when we unpacked was to apply for our resident card. With my wife being an EU citizen, she is entitled to move here to live- to work or retire. As her husband, I am entitled to get my residency as well. So, off we went to Valletta to apply. The immigration department is in the Evans Building, a massive old structure at the lower end of Valletta. Being me, we got there at 7AM, with business beginning at 7:30AM. We were about first in line. By the time processing started, with several lines going to different offices, there were several hundred people waiting. Score one for being early.
The man behind the counter asked how he could help us. Help us? Wow! And he meant it. After a few minutes reviewing the paperwork we had filled out in advance, he gave us a number, and told us to wait for our interview. After 20 minutes, we were called into another office. We answered a few questions, signed some papers, and had our pictures taken. Must have taken at least 15 minutes. She handed us some prelim papers and said we will hear back in about a month. Five weeks later, we received a letter informing us to pick up our residency cards. Just like in the States: NOT. When she moved to the States, we both filled out reams of paperwork, had multiple interviews, and waited almost a year. The Maltese really welcomed us here. And in five years, I will be able to vote in local elections, since I am a taxpayer.

Want to talk about nice, polite and friendly, let’s talk about the Maltese Tax Authority. Yes, you heard me right. Before I talk about nice, let me show you the mission statement of the Tax Authority:

Mission Statement:
To collect, in a timely and efficient manner, the fair amount of taxes, to ensure that funds are available for Malta’s public services.

We strive to achieve this by:

• helping taxpayers understand and meet their obligations in accordance with the law;
• simplifying procedures and minimizing compliance costs;
• maximizing voluntary compliance together with a fair control system
• developing a skilled and motivating workforce within a modern and adaptive organization.

Just like the IRS!!

We showed up at their office to register with them. We took a number. There were about 125 people ahead of us. Fortunately, my wife noticed a another, higher set of numbers that were periodically called as well. She asked the woman sitting next to her what is was; and was told that it was for older people. We got a new number and were called in about ten minutes.

The woman who met with us welcomed us to Malta; and hoped that we were getting comfortable. We then went through the paperwork. I noticed other workers were filling out tax forms (their tax month is June) for taxpayers, exactly like the IRS. In a few minutes, we were done. She wished us well, and to call back any time we needed assistance. Yes, they actually do answer their phones.

I could go on like this all day. Healthcare in Malta is rated in the top five countries in the world. And because my wife has a pension from an EU country, per EU rules we will receive same healthcare as the Maltese.
If you ask anyone in Malta a question, they will stop what they are doing and answer. And not in any rushed way. And, if you even look lost or about to ask a question, they will stop and ask how they can help us. Everyone is like this, without exception. What is it about a country where people believe the government is there to help them? They pay taxes, but they also get real services in return. They get health care, even if they can’t afford it. They get an education, even if they cannot afford it. And they are not left to starve in retirement.

I believe that there is something different about Western Europe, including Malta, from the United States, that enables this belief in themselves and their country. Europe was largely destroyed by two world wars, and after the wars ended, they were left to rebuild their countries and lives. To do that, everyone’s help was needed. To ensure a better future, education for all, healthcare for everyone, as well as a belief that government was part of the solution, the people were asked and gave their consensus. New institutions were created instead of just going with the same old ones. People pulled together and lobbying and special interests were minimized. The people come before government or business.
It works for us. We love it here. People and government.