Lija () is a small village in the

Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to: * Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain *Eastern Region, Ghana *Eastern Region (Iceland) *Eastern Region, Malta *Eastern Region, Nepal *Eastern Region, Nigeria * Eastern Region, Serbia *Eastern Region, Ugand ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. Together with

Attard Attard () is a town in the Northern Region of Malta. Together with Balzan and Lija, it forms part of the " Three Villages" () and has been inhabited since the Classical Period. It has a population of 12,268 as of 2021. Attard's traditional ...

and

Balzan Balzan () is a municipality in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region of Malta, and together with Attard and Lija, forms part of the "Three villages of Malta, Three Villages" (). The village originally consisted of a group of small dwellin ...

, it forms part of Malta's "

Three Villages The Three Villages () refers to the Malta, Maltese villages of Attard, Balzan, and Lija located around the centre of the island. The Three Villages are known as such because of their close proximity to one another. In some cases, one side of a str ...

" (). Lija has a baroque

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

and seven other small chapels. The parish church is dedicated to Our Saviour. Lija became a parish in 1594, after the small community detached itself from the neighbouring town,

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the Malta (island), island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous pari ...

. It has a population of 3,162 as of 2021.

Culture

Malta - Lija - Vjal it-Transfigurazzjoni - Belvedere 01 ies

Lija is mostly known for its

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

displays that attract thousands of locals and tourists during the festa period held in the first week of August. These displays are well renowned and claimed to be the best around the island. The Lija fireworks team also won an international fireworks competition held in

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

back in 1980. In 2006, the

Lija fireworks factory Lija () is a small village in the Eastern Region of Malta. Together with Attard and Balzan, it forms part of Malta's "Three Villages" (). Lija has a baroque parish church and seven other small chapels. The parish church is dedicated to Our Sav ...

placed second in a

Fireworks festival Fireworks are low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in an outdoo ...

organised at the Grand Harbour in Malta's capital,

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

. Lija has several old houses and large

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

gardens. The

Lija Belvedere Tower The Lija Belvedere Tower () is a Belvedere (structure), belvedere in Lija, Malta. It was built in the 19th century as a folly within a private garden, and it is now located on a roundabout. History The belvedere tower was built in 1857 as a foll ...

and

Villa Francia Villa Francia, initially named Palazzo Francia, then named Villa Preziosi, and officially known as Palazzo Francia and Francia Estate, is an 18th-century palace in Lija, Malta. The palace was built circa 1757, by Francesco Preziosi, with baroque a ...

are the main attraction. The official University Residence of the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...

was also situated in this village and was still running until 2020. . British author

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, dy ...

, whose works include ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'', resided in Lija for three years (1968-1970). At Lija there is also

Villa Parisio Villa Parisio is a villa in Lija, Malta. It was built in the 16th century by the Muscati family, and eventually passed into the hands of the Parisio Muscati, de Piro and Strickland families. It is currently the seat of The Strickland Foundation, ...

, where politician

Mabel Strickland Mabel Edeline Strickland, (8 January 1899 – 29 November 1988), was an Anglo-Maltese journalist, newspaper proprietor and politician. Family and personal life Strickland was the daughter of Sir Gerald Strickland, later the 4th Prime Ministe ...

, daughter of Lord

Gerald Strickland Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland, 6th Count della Catena, 1st Baron Strickland, (24 May 1861 – 22 August 1940), usually known between 1897 and January 1928 as Sir Gerald Strickland, was a Maltese and British politic ...

, lived.

Sports

Football Club

Lija Athletic F.C. Lija Athletic Football Club, commonly referred to as ''Lija Athletic'', is a football team originating from the village of Lija, Malta. The present club was founded in 1949 and has competed in the Maltese Premier League five times. The 2024–25 ...

is the village's

football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...

. This club has been promoted to Malta's Premier (highest) Division five times in its history, most recently in the 2020/21 season. Considering the small size of the village and the resource and financial limitations, this was deemed to be a huge success by local sports enthusiasts. Lija Athletic, with the collaboration of the Local Council, inaugurated a new synthetic pitch on 6 July 2007 (''Jum Ħal Lija'' or "

Lija Day Lija () is a small village in the Eastern Region of Malta. Together with Attard and Balzan, it forms part of Malta's "Three Villages" (). Lija has a baroque parish church and seven other small chapels. The parish church is dedicated to Our Savi ...

"). This pitch is situated in the village's primary school grounds. During the year 2024, the club celebrated its 75th anniversary since its foundation in 1949, although this was not one of triumph, ending the 2024/25 season relegated to the National Amateur League 1.

Youth Football Academy

The local football club

also incorporates the Lija Iklin Football Academy. It was founded back in 2002 by then president Mr Charles J.Scerri, alongside the Iklin Local Council and the 'Skema Żgħażagħ Iklin'. During the years the academy has been recognized as one of central Malta's leading football academy's with over 250 players registered. The academy includes teams in each age category, catering for boys and girls.

Bocci Club

The Lija Bocci Club has been operating since the 1980s and has won various honours in the local scene. Currently they compete in the 1st Division of the Premier Category while also competing in the Reserves category. The Club operates and has its facilities in the ''Ġnien Ċentru Rikreattiv'' in Lija.

Other Sports

The village of Lija also incorporates a state-of-the-art Padel Court and a Tennis Court, both located in ''Ġnien Ċentru Rikreattiv'' in the heart of Lija.

References

External links

Lija Local Council
*
Lija Parish

6 August - Titular Feast

{{Authority control Towns in Malta Local councils of Malta