The Rotunda of Mosta

So far, we visited the parish churches in both Balzan and Lija. Both were incredibly beautiful, both inside and out. In time for the festa in Mosta, we paid a visit to the Rotunda of Mosta (The Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady). Mosta is located at the very center or Malta. What first strikes you is the large size of the Rotunda. (The dome is about 160 feet across.) At one time, it was listed as the third largest unsupported dome church in the world. Over and over we are struck by the grandeur and size of many of Malta’s churches.

The Rotunda is not old, by Maltese standards. (Historical information follows from Wikipedia) It was built between 1833 and the 1860’s. And it was built based upon the Pantheon in Rome. Unlike many buildings in Malta, it survived World War Two. On April 9, 1942, a German plane dropped three bombs on the church. Two bombs deflected off the dome and fell to the ground. The third bomb went through the dome, into the sanctuary. It embedded into the floor but did not explode. This happened while 300 parishioners were attending a night mass. No one was hurt. It was widely hailed as a miracle. (A replica of the bomb exists, located in the sacristy). In 2018 the church was upgraded to a minor basilica.

If you should be in one of the towns (Hal Għaxaq, Gudja, Attard, Mosta, Mqabba, Qrendi and Victoria) that celebrate the Feast of Santa Maria on August 15, note that it is also a national holiday. The date of this festa coincides with a major event in WWII. During that time frame, the people of Malta were essentially without food and fuel, and about to surrender.

” Operation Pedestal, known in Malta as the Santa Marija Convoy, was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War . The most crucial supply item in Operation Pedestal was fuel, carried by the SS Ohio, an American tanker with a British crew. The convoy sailed from Britain on 3 August 1942 and passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean on the night of 9/10 August.

The Axis attempted to prevent the fifty ships of the convoy reaching Malta, using bombers, German E-boats, Italian MAS and MS boats, minefields and submarine ambushes. More than 500 Merchant and Royal Navy sailors and airmen were killed and only five of the 14 merchant ships reached Grand Harbor in Valletta. While costly for the Allies, it was a strategic victory; the arrival of Ohio justified the decision to hazard so many warships; its cargo of aviation fuel revitalised the Maltese air offensive against Axis shipping.

For more information see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotunda_of_Mosta

So, if you hear one of the local bands playing a version of the Star Spangled Banner, and other patriotic American songs, now you know why. The Maltese have a long memory about the support given them by the Americans. Nonetheless, it is still a surprise when you hear it played.

As a photographer, taking pictures in the Rotunda was quite unique. No corners. And light coming from all directions. As it was during the festa celebration, the interior, like most churches in Malta, was draped, inside, with red silk drapes. The overall effect was nothing short of very impressive. With so many sites to see in Malta, visiting their churches should be high on your list. To visit during a festa (mostly in the summer months) period, would add to the beauty and history of your vacation.

Festa Ħal Lija August 2019

Can’t believe it’s that time already. We arrived in mid-April. Everyone we met said that they hoped our roof had a view of the fireworks from Lija. All, even from the neighboring villages of Ħal Balzan and Ħ’Attard have said that Lija has the very best fireworks on Malta. So, finally, got our first look.

This is our second Festa, with Balzan being the first. For us, it was truly remarkable and highly enjoyable. A festa is part religious, honoring the local parish Saint; a floating party with bands playing all over the village, with food and drink everywhere. And, very importantly, it is a leading social event of the year. Everyone attends. We are completely hooked on them.

In the case of Lija, it is spread out over a week. Every morning at 8AM there are fireworks. At night (usually 9:30PM) there are band marches and concerts. And this is followed up by a fireworks display around 11PM. As it gets closer, there are also fireworks at 6PM as well. Each night, they get more elaborate.

The parish church is decorated like I have never seen before. Virtually all the stone walls, from top to bottom, are covered in silk. Breathtaking, just looking at it. Even more so, the time to iron each piece and then carry it up and hang it from the walls. To learn more about the Lija parish church, click here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Saviour%27s_Church,_Lija

The Parish church of Ħal Lija, on the square in Lija. During festa, the lights are turned on at 2030 nightly.
As is the custom, all the churches in Malta are lighted for their festas.
The inside walls of the church are lined with ironed silk fabric, throughout.
One of our fellow residents, a former fireworks worker, said that his great uncle painted the ceiling, and put in the faces of his neighbors.
Patron saint in church prior to taking it out to all the village of Lija
The procession begins, with all the participants leaving the church, ahead of the saint.
People of all ages participate.
The statue exits the church. Those carrying the saint must bend down so it can clear the entrance.
And finally, it comes outside to applause from thousands of Lija and area residents.
Getting ready for his over two hour journey through the village streets, one of the carriers has some last minute thoughts.
An important aspect of carrying the statue is that each person must be the same height. All ten men.
The procession is underway. Just passing the local band club. As is custom, the statue will be followed by many people, as well as viewed by people standing front of their homes. Light now, it will be dark when the procession is completed.
With the church in view, the procession is almost complete.
Thousands of people watch as the statue re-enters the church, to the constant bell ringing, fireworks, as well as the bands playing.

My focus mirrors my tastes. I love food, seeing what the residents and guests eat at the festa. Not to mention what I like to eat. Growing up, I always liked bands, especially marching bands. There was plenty of that in Lija. And food. Not sure what I like more, food or photography. But, if you are hungry, Malta is the place to be. And I like to watch the people. They are enjoying themselves.

Festas are not a complete thing without multiple bands, both marching and in concert. Each parish has one or more band. They take turns marching or presenting a concert. And they even bring in band members from other villages and towns to augment their numbers. And other village and city bands come to participate as well.Bands were established to train young children to play an instrument. Band lessons are free; and they provide the students with instruments. They learn to participate in the preparation and running of the festas, as well as learning to make fireworks. Virtually all the fireworks are made locally by the Maltese, not imported from another country, or even another town. The bands march around the village and towns, taking upwards of two or more hours. They stop occasionally for some liquid refreshment. After all, it is a social event.

As the statue crosses under this banner, confetti will pour out.
For a couple of weeks before the festa, the band clubs put up the banners in the village marking where the bands will march.
Being in a band is a source of great pride and satisfaction.
Whenever the band marches, their relatives and friends will follow behind.
In training for the band?
Another band lines the broad main street to welcome back the statue and procession after more than two hours of going through the village.
Every so often the bands take a break for a cold one before getting back in line to start marching again.

Besides fireworks and bands, the Maltese love food. At all gatherings they will be eating. Watching fireworks from their roofs, they have barbecues. At a festa, there are a myriad of food trucks, dispensing (sometimes in one truck) hamburgers, sausages and Chinese food. Then there are several trucks with gelato, soft-serve ice cream, nougat bars, popcorn and cotton candy. No one goes hungry! And if you have time to sit down, band clubs and athletic clubs offer a more substantive selection.

Now that is a hot dog (in there somewhere)!
Can’t make up your mind? Have a hot dog with your hamburger and chips.
The better half opted for a really good pizza with parma ham, arugula and buffalo mozzarella, at the local athletic club.
While I could not pass an opportunity to have half a rabbit, braised in beer and garlic! Yum!

As I said before, I enjoy watching people. They are involved, engaged and enjoying themselves. That is why festas are a loved part of the Maltese calendar.

Some things amaze me. How about women who can march in the band for more than two hours in high heels!J
Just before the procession gets underway, a man starts to tape a shim to the carrying pole, to keep it steady. He asked why I took the picture. I told him it was just another example of why tape is good for everything. He laughed.
The bell ringers take a rare break to watch the proceedings be below. For them, it was several hours of nonstop ringing.
Man’s best friend loves fireworks, bands and screaming kids. Not sure why people in the States go ballistic over noise. Not in Malta.
One of the statue carriers has some last minute thoughts before the procession gets underway.
Fireworks are for kids of all ages.
Can you tell. This is one very happy and excited boy, trailing and playing along with the band. Bet he starts taking lessons and joins the band.
Looking down on the festa is the all-seeing drone, capturing all the activity for the official Ħal Lija video of the Festa of 2019.

And, finally, there are the fireworks. As long as I can remember, I have loved watching fireworks. In the States, it seems fashionable to denigrate fireworks as noisy, a threat to children and pets. In Malta, the dogs and cats, stare out in space, not affected at all. Children love them. And streets are blocked off, with bus schedules disrupted. No one cares. It’s a fun time, a religious event, and a social event. The Lija band club has its own fireworks factory. The results are spectacular, over a two hour display.

For some reason, unexplainable to me, all Maltese love/are obsessed with fireworks. Thank goodness! No captions here. Just enjoy the pictures.

Festa Ħal Lija August 2019 is coming!

The excitement was building as we were getting ready to head on up to the roof to watch our first festa fireworks in Lija. All the neighbors in our building were on their parts of the roof, having parties, having a good time. After all, this festa happens only once a year. Can you believe how huge an event this is; especially when you realize that Lija has only 3,000 residents.

The fireworks lasted over two hours! A real first for us. And it was everything everyone said it would be…… and more. Afterwards, I headed back down to upload the pictures and video. Tomorrow and tomorrow night is the last day for the festa. More bands, a religious procession carrying the statue of “Our Savior” from the Lija parish church (The Parish Church of the Transfiguration of Jesus) throughout the entire village, taking two hours. And, of course, another fireworks display.

Should be ready to publish our blog on the festa in a few days. In the meantime, enjoy this unique display from the fireworks. Never saw one like this before.

These hearts are a local favorite. The fireworks are produced by the St. Michael’s fireworks company in Hal Lija.

Scooting off to Gozo

Waking up on a Monday, we decided to finally see what Gozo was about. Many Maltese citizens take their holidays on Gozo due, in part, to the bounty of sandy beaches, unlike Malta. And the fact that there are many fewer people and vehicles. Malta is small at 316 KM sq. (about the size of Seattle). Gozo is about 67 square KM. We decided to go for a day, focusing on one point of interest: the Citadel.

The history of Gozo goes back 5,000 years, first being populated by farmers from Sicilly. And, from Greek mythology, it is associated with the nymph Calypso and Odysseus.
By ferry, it takes 25 minutes. On the way, you will pass the uninhabited island of Comino, with its incredible blue waters, before docking in Mggar. From there, you can hop on one of the local busses. In our case, it was to Victoria (population of 7,000).

One of the four ferries that make the 25 minute journey every half hour from Malta to Mggar. From there, it is a 20 minute bus ride to the capital, Victoria.

On the way to Gozo, we passed the uninhabited island of Comino. During the 1,500’s, the islands were populated with watchtowers.

There are several grottos on Comino, bathed in incredible blue waters.

Our objective for the day was to visit the Citadel, a very imposing “fort” that protected Gozo from all many of enemies, including the Turks in the mid 1500’s. The Citadel is a self-contained village, with battlements with canon, super thick walls, a cathedral, a prison, shops dwellings, and blessed with a superior view of everything around it for several kilometers. Like in Malta proper, every direction you turned to, there were imposing churches. From the ramparts, we saw the Rotunda of Xewkija. It can seat 3,000, people, the same number as the village of the same name.

Like every fort and citadel in Malta and Gozo, the walls are incredibly thick, to withstand bombardment.

On a hot day like today, there was not only some shade, but a breath of cool air as well.

The Rotunda of Xewkija, church that seats about 3,000 people, the same number of people that live in the village of the same name.

A church and seminary that you see when you approach the harbor of Mggar.

At the very heart of the Citadel is the imposing Cathedral of the Assumption. The present-day church was constructed, starting in 1697. It replaced an earlier church that was built in 1299. Over the years, it was damaged and partially destroyed by many enemies, including the Ottomans in 1551. While we were there, the church was being prepared for the upcoming Festa.

The church of the Assumption, within the Citadel.

As was the tradition, notables were buried under the floor of the church. Talk about different!

While the church was truly beautiful, I was more interested in their food making skills. So, we wandered through their living and working quarters. Quite the eye-opener. We took a break from looking over the ramparts, and had some cool refreshments, sitting next to an old canon. Then it was off to see the old prison, designed to house convicted members of the Knights of Malta.

In this room, they ground grain into flour, using the power of oxen.

A typical meal for the residents of the Citadel.

While having a cool one, we kept our eyes peeled for invading Turks.

Finally, on the way back to the bus terminal, we passed a lunch shop, with a couple of menu items that I was not expecting. Fearing the worst, I did not order one, either. Our next visit to Gozo will be for a few days, in a hotel on one of its many sandy beaches.

Malta international food festival

If there is one thing that we really like, it is a good food festival. No better way to understand a country than through its food and wine. From the Water festival in Stockholm in 1998, up to the various festivals in Seattle like the Bite of Seattle, Folklife Festival, and the very fun and quirky Solstice festival in Ballard. And of course, the Feast of San Genaro in Little Italy in New York City. You never know what you will see and taste.

The bread and butter car at the Ballard (Seattle) Solstice Festival.

What better way to smoke a salmon than in a salmon smoker in Ballard.

So, it was with great pleasure that we went to the Malta International Food Festival, held in the “ditch” at Mdina. The ditch is the former moat that surrounds the fortress town. Only now, it is filled with grass, not water and alligators. Nothing like sampling great food with the surroundings being a 1,000-year-old fortress/town, the original capital of Malta. A totally different world from 20^th century surroundings.

A unique and beautiful way to display food.

From high above in the ramparts, a spectacular view of Valletta, the capital of Malta, its port and the Mediterranean Sea. That is the St. John’s co-cathedral.

No better way to show that the climate is arid and very Mediterranean.

Nearby is the Mosta Cathedral, one of the largest domed churches in Europe. During WW II, during a Sunday mass, a German plane dropped a bomb on it. The bomb went through the roof, and crashed into the church, but did not explode. No one was killed, even though the church was packed for mass.

Getting used to portion sizes in Malta will take some doing. I am used to acknowledging that the United States values portion size over many other qualities of food. We were not prepared for the very large portion sizes here. There was an interesting booth at Mdina that graphically portrayed nutrition. A very good display. But when I wondered about portion sizes, I was met with an almost blank stare. The Maltese portions are large, even by U.S. standards. But it looked so good!

This tuna and pasta salad looks wonderful. Perfect balance of nutritional elements. But so much bigger than the one person portion it describes.

Due to history and location, there is much in the way of both seafood and pasta. We are blessed with having some seriously good Italian food. And the seafood is wonderful. But, being a destination resort for people from so many countries, Western foods have managed to take a large portion of the food business. Fast food, yes, but some of it is very tasty.

So, if you happen to be in Malta next July, make sure to attend the Food Festival.

Bliss!! This is a hamburger with cheese, lettuce and an egg. On the side are the ubiquitous chips (fries for Americans) and a hot dog. This is very common street food.

Fried seafood is very popular. Here we have both fried sardines and calamari. The sardines are very similar to the lake herring in Finland. I opted for the calamari, a favorite of mine.

This is one of the favorite breads in Malta. It is called an ftira (F-tira). No, it is not a bagel! Sliced horizontally, it is filled with all manner of fillings. And is a favorite lunch sandwich for Maltese. The Maltese are trying to get it to be listed as a designated status within the European Union.

The real lasagna. Please note that the pasta come in large sheets, not in strips, as in the United States. And it is NOT filled with cheese!

Now this is some seriously good ravioli!

Even room for some Chinese food, as well.

Chef Dario gives pasta with Parmesan a whole new twist. Enough cheese for you?

Ħal Balzan, our first Festa in Malta

*Ħal Balzan* Parish church all lighted for the annual Festa.

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.

The bands work hard day and night, preparing for their marches and concerts.

Sometimes it takes a cold one to keep your cool in the heat.

Band club members working in teams prepare the ground fireworks, hoping that their team is the best.

Really hard and intricate work putting on the display.

Just so that you know, it can be dangerous putting them together.

It takes a year to design and build them.

In the weeks before the Festa, the displays, lights and banners get placed on many of the village streets.

The Socjeta Filarmonika Marija Annunzjata is one of the two Balzan band clubs that work on the Festa.

The other band club is the Kazin tal-Banda San Gabriel.

Inside the *Ħal Balzan Parish church*. It is truly spectacular, and 350 years old.

The bands start to march through the streets of Balzan.

Learning how to play an instrument, and be part of the band, starts at a very early age.

And the last night march, the statue of Mary and the Archangel Gabriel is taken from the church, and carried through Balzan.

It takes many people to carry the statue, as well as it being a long march. Over two hours.

Two hours later, the statue is returned to the church.

And that is all for this year’s *Ħal Balzan* Festa.

Just enjoying the night

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.

Knock, knock, can I come in…….

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.

*Poppy field in the Kings Garden in Attard.*

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.

*The Evans Building in Lower Valletta. This is the home of the Immigration Department, where everyone want to live and/or work in Malta must start.*

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.

*Our Lady of the Annunciation will be carried around the village square in Hal Balzan on the feast day.*

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.

*As the Festival of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Hal Balzan is about to get underway, the last minute touches are made on the ground fireworks display. They will be set off this Saturday night.*

The Bands Played on…. In Malta

Republic Street in Valletta right before the start of the band march during the Feast of St. Paul in February.

First, as a tourist, and then as a new resident in Malta, your eyes and ears are always open to the new and unique. Two things that caught our attention right from the start are band clubs and fireworks. And I do not mean ordinary bands and fireworks. So, band clubs for today and fireworks for another day.

Band clubs are not something you would experience in the United States. They are found in all of Malta’s villages, towns and cities. In Malta, band clubs are an essential and unique part of local culture; but how. What does it really consist of and what is its role in modern Maltese society?

Il-kazin tal-banda, or the local band club, is one of the most typical locations in a Maltese town or village. Each town, village and city in Malta has at least one – many have two or three just a stone’s throw away from each other, often with decades-long rivalries. Most of the 91 band clubs around Malta and Gozo are open to the public all year round; and many have bar and restaurant areas where one can mingle with the locals, while helping to keep the club afloat. But what is a band club exactly, and what is its role in Maltese society nowadays?

Upon researching Band Clubs, we found out that they are part and parcel of the social and cultural history of the Maltese islands and have, over the years, established themselves as an institution at the core of every town and village, and spread its culture. Many musicians who have gone on to make a name for themselves, locally or abroad, owe their success, in part, to the encouragement and teaching of the local band club.

The band club in Balzan, Każin tal-Banda San Gabriel Ħal **Balzan**. Their clubhouse is located about a five minute walk from our home.

They did start out as local social clubs – in fact, the musical element came in later, when marching bands started being formed to enhance the atmosphere of the village feast, influenced by the marching bands of the British military. They were also often epicenters for social movements and change; for example, the Sette Giugno uprising, widely considered to be the first step in Malta’s quest for independence, was plotted within a network of band clubs.

As I suspected, the names of band clubs to this day reflect whether the clubs were more historically pro-Italian or pro-British – the ones that supported colonial rule are usually named after British personages such as King George V, Queen Victoria or the Duke of Connaught.

Band clubs serve a triple role. “First of all, they are free music schools, providing their students with tuition and instruments at no cost. Second, they are the key to organizing events within the community, from the village feast to summer music festivals. Third, they serve as a breeding ground for culture and creativity, teaching their young members valuable skills. Indeed, at a band club, young people can master a whole gamut of skills, from the musical training that underpins the purpose of a band club, to event organization and management, to the highly precise science of pyrotechnics that leads to the beautiful firework displays seen at village feasts all over the island.

The Band clubhouse in Birgu, (Vittoriosa), across the harbor from Valletta.

No matter what the primary reason for band clubs is, I strongly urge all visitors and residents to partake of this wonderful Maltese tradition. Come festival season (mostly in the summer), walk along with the bands as they play and march through towns and villages. Join in on the fun. And don’t forget during the rest of the year, a band club is a great place for dinner, a pizza and a beer. And most of all, it may just be the very best way to learn about Maltese culture.

Everyone loves the tuba player. He really is enjoying himself.

Malta is an island…. The Maltese love fish!

The Maltese fishing boats, called Luzzus, are painted vibrant primary colors and feature two eyes in front. These “eyes of Osiris” are meant to ward off evil spirits, a custom that comes from North Africa.

As you make your way around Malta, you will experience many new (old) sights and tastes. Seafood has been an integral part of the Maltese culinary experience for thousands of years. When you spend time here, you will see many and varied types of seafood at the restaurants on the waterfront. Much of Maltese cuisine is aligned closely to that of Sicily, its close neighbor to the north. As a result, the seafood tastes are very Sicilian, mixing pasta with plenty of shellfish.

My all-time favorite shellfish is the king prawn. The very simplest way to prepare them is add butter and finely chopped garlic to the sauté pan. After the garlic starts to get soft (medium high heat), lay in the prawns. Don’t crowd. After two minutes, turn them over. Sauté for another two minutes. Then sprinkle some crushed red pepper on top, along with a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread. Have plenty of napkins handy as this is real hands on fun.

The conger eel, or sallur tal-konger, as it is known in Maltese, is a favorite of many locals. Will never be my favorite.

The best way to see and taste the bounty of the sea is to visit Marsaxlokk on a Sunday morning at 9AM. Set up on the seawall between the harbor and the restaurants that line the adjacent street, there are literally a hundred stalls selling fish and shellfish, some of which most of us have not seen before. In addition, numerous stalls sell veggies and fruits, most of which are picked long before it’s time in the States. Also, many stalls selling clothing of all sort for everyone.