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 ...

is the country with the most

holidays A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. Since 2020, any holidays falling on Saturdays or Sundays add an extra day to the workers' leave pool, reverting to the pre 2005 system.

National holidays

* 31 March: Freedom Day (''Jum il-Helsien'') * 7 June: '' Sette Giugno'' * 8 September: Victory Day (''Jum il-Vitorja'') * 21 September:

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

(''Jum l-Indipendenza'') * 13 December: Republic Day (''Jum ir-Repubblika'')

Public holidays

* 1 January:

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

('L-Ewwel tas-Sena') * 10 February: Feast of Saint Paul's Shipwreck in Malta ('Nawfraġju ta' San Pawl') * 19 March: Feast of

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

('San Ġużepp') * Friday before Easter:

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

('Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira') * 1 May: Workers' Day ('Jum il-Haddiem') * 29 June: Feast of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

; Saint Paul, patron saints ('L-Imnarja') * 15 August: Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady ('Santa Marija') * 8 December: Feast of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

('Il-Kunċizzjoni') * 25 December:

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

('Il-Milied')

Traditional Feasts

The following is a list of feasts or special days celebrated in Malta. Note that, with the exception of the dates mentioned in the previous section, these feasts are not public holidays and on these days, business runs as usual across the Maltese islands. As Malta is largely Roman Catholic, most of these feasts celebrate Saints or events from the Holy Bible.

January

January is known by the Maltese as ''ix-xahar tal-bard'' ('the month of the cold') *1 January: New Year's Day (''L-Ewwel tas-Sena'' or ''L-Istrina'') *First Sunday after 1 January: Epiphany (''Epifanija'' or ''It-Tre Re'') *13 January: Saint Anthony the Abbot (''San Anton Abbati'') in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

*25 January: Conversion of Saint Paul (''Konverżjoni ta' San Pawl'') in

Mdina Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity ...

February

February is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar ta' San Pawl' ('Saint Paul's month') *2 February: Candlemas ('Gandlora') *3 February: Saint Blase ('San Blas') *10 February: Saint Paul's Shipwreck ('San Pawl Nawfragu') in

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 ...

, Marsalforn and Munxar *14 February: Saint Valentine ('San Valentinu')

March

March is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar ta' San Ġużepp, tal-Lunzjata u tar-roħs' ('The month of Saint Joseph, the Annunciation and Sales') *19 March: Saint Joseph ('San Ġużepp') in

*25 March: Annunciation ('Il-Lunzjata') *27 March: Jesus of Nazareth ('Ġesù Nazzarenu') in

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

*31 March: Freedom Day ('Jum il-Ħelsien')

April

April is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tan-nwhar u ta' San Girgor' ('the month of blossoms and Saint Gregory'). *1 April: April Fool's Day ('Il-Ġifa') *First Wednesday after Easter Sunday: Saint Gregory ('San Girgor') *6 April: Saint Publius ('San Publju') in

Floriana Floriana ( or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a Floriana Lines, fortified town in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014 ...

*23 April: Saint George ('San Ġorġ') in

Qormi Qormi (, , ), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), making it Malta's fifth-la ...

and Victoria The following feasts are moveable, as they can occur either in March or in April. *Friday before Palm Sunday – Our Lady of Sorrows ('Id-Duluri') *Palm Sunday ('Ħadd il-Palm') *Good Friday ('Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira') *Easter ('L-Għid' or 'L-Irxoxt')

May

May is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tal-ħsad u tal-Madonna ta' Pompej' ('the month of harvest and Our Lady of Pompeii') *1 May: Saint Joseph the Worker
www.sanguzepphaddiem.com
'San Ġużepp Ħaddiem' or 'Jum il-Ħaddiem') with a feast in

Ħamrun Hamrun ( ) is a town in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who ca ...

and

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 ...

*2 May: Our Lady of Liesse ('Il-Madonna ta' Liesse') in

*3 May: Feast of the Cross ('Santu Kruċ') in

; St. Augustine ('Santu Wistin') in

*9 May: Liturgical Feast of Saint George Preca ('San Ġorġ Preca') *31 May: Holy Trinity ('Trinità Mqaddsa') in Marsa *22 May: Saint Rita ('Santa Rita') in

*24 May: The Annunciation ('Il-Lunzjata') in Tarxien *24 May: Saint Paul ('San Pawl') in Munxar *24 May: Saint Joseph ('San Ġużepp') in Għaxaq *31 May: Saint Anthony of Padua ('Sant' Antnin ta' Padova') in

*Second Sunday of May: Mother's Day ('Jum l-Omm')

June

June is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tad-dris, tal-ħġejjeġ, tal-Imnarja, u tal-Qalb ta' Ġesù' ('the month of reaping, bonfires, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus') *First Sunday of June: Saint Joseph ('San Ġużepp') in Għaxaq *2 June: Our Lady of Fatima ('Il-Madonna ta' Fatima') in

Pietà, Malta Pietà () is a small harbour town in the Eastern Region of Malta, located near the outskirts of the capital city Valletta. Etymology The name ''Tal-Pietà'' is derived from Italian, and means "Pity", referring to the pity of Our Lady of Sorro ...

*9 June: Saint Jack *21 June: Christ the Redeemer ('Kristu Redentur') in

Senglea Senglea ( ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the Port Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa, and has a popu ...

*14 June: Saint Philip ('San Filep') in Żebbuġ, Malta *14 June: Corpus Christi in Għasri; Sacred Heart of Jesus ('Il-Qalb ta' Ġesù') in Fontana, Gozo *21 June: Our Lady of Lily ('Il-Madonna tal-Ġilju') in Mqabba; Saint Catherine ('Santa Katarina') in

Żejtun Żejtun ( ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at the end of 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Ferdinand von ...

; Saint John the Baptist ('San Ġwann Battista') in

Xewkija Xewkija (, , pronounced and written as Casal Sceuchia) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and village of Malta, on the island of Gozo. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014. History Xewkija, which is between Għajn ...

*22 June: Our Lady of Lourdes ('Il-Madonna ta' Lourdes') in

Qrendi Qrendi () is a village in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta, with a population of 3,148 people as of October 2021. It is located close to Mqabba, Żurrieq and Siġġiewi. Within its boundaries are the two Neolithic temples of ...

*Third Sunday of June: Father's Day ('Jum il-Missier') *29 June: Saint Nicholas ('San Nikola') in Siġġiewi; Our Lady of Sacred Heart ('Il-Qalb Bla Tebgħa ta' Marija') in Burmarrad; Saint Peter and Saint Paul ('San Pietru u San Pawl: L-Imnarja') in

and Nadur *Fourth/Last Sunday of June: Saint John ('San Ġwann'); Saint George ('San Ġorġ') in

July

July is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tal-Karmnu' ('Our Lady of Mount Carmel's month'). *First Sunday of the month: Sacro Cuor ('Our Lady of the Sacred Heart') in

*5 July: The Visitation ('Il-Viżitazzjoni') in Għarb; Saint Paul ('San Pawl') in

; Our Lady of Sacred Heart ('Sacro Cuor') in

; Saint Andrew ('Sant' Andrija'): in

Luqa Luqa ( , ) is a town located in the Southern Region of Malta, 4.3 km away from the capital Valletta. With a population of 5,945 as of March 2014, it is a small but densely populated settlement which is typical of Malta's older towns and vi ...

; Our Lady of Lourdes ('Il-Madonna ta' Lourdes') in

; Our Lady of Mount Carmel in

Fleur-de-Lys The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

*12 July: Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Fgura *13 July: Our Lady of Mount Carmel in

Gżira Gżira () is a town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is located between Msida and Sliema, also bordering on Ta' Xbiex. It has a population of 11,699 as of January 2019. The word ''Gżira'' means "island" in Maltese ...

*16 July: Our Lady of Mount Carmel ('Il-Madonna tal-Karmnu') in

*19 July: Our Lady of Mount Carmel in

and

*20 July: Our Lady of Sorrows ('Marija Sultana Tal-Martri') in San Pawl Il-Baħar *26 July: Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Balluta Bay ( San Ġiljan); Saint Anne ('Sant' Anna') in Marsaskala *Second Sunday of July: Saint Joseph ('San Ġużepp') in Kirkop; the Annunciation ('Marija Annunzjata') in

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 ...

*Third Sunday of July: Saint George (San Gorg) in Victoria; Saint Sebastian ('San Bastjan') in Hal

; Sacred Family ('Sagra Familja') in Bidnija *27 July: Saint Venera ('Santa Venera') in Santa Venera; Mount Carmel* ('Madonna Tal-Karmnu') in

Żurrieq Żurrieq ( ) is a town in the Western Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and has a population of 11,823 inhabitants as of March 2014. Żurrieq is one of the 10 parishes to be documented in 1436 and is dedicated to S ...

*Last Sunday of July: Christ the King ('Kristu Re') in Paola, Malta

August

August is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tal-frott, ta' Santa Marija u ta' San Lawrenz' ('the month of fruit, Saint Mary and Saint Lawrence'). *First Sunday of August: Saint Peter in Chains ('San Pietru fil-Ktajjen') in

Birżebbuġa Birżebbuġa (; sometimes shortened to B'Buġa) is a seaside town in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, close to Marsaxlokk. It is approximately from the capital Valletta, and has a population of 9,736 as of March 2014. The ...

*10 August: Saint Lawrence ('San Lawrenz') in

Birgu Birgu ( , ), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), is an old Fortifications of Birgu, fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory ...

and San Lawrenz *11 August: Saint Gaetan ('San Gejtanu') in

*15 August: The Seven Saint Marys ('Is-Seba' Santa Marijiet') in Għaxaq, Mqabba,

, Gudja, Mosta,

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 Victoria *16 August: Saint Roque ('Santu Rokku') *Nearest Sunday to 18 August: Saint Helen (Santa Elena): in

: Feast celebrated on a Sunday morning *Third Sunday of August: Stella Maris (Our Lady Star of the Sea) in

*29 August: The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist ('Il-Martirju ta' San Ġwann') *Last Sunday of August: Saint Dominic of Guzman ('San Duminku ta' Guzman') in

*Last Sunday of August: Saint Julian ('San Ġiljan') in San Ġiljan

September

September is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tal-Vitorja, tal-Bambina, u tal-Grazzja' ('the month of Victory, the Nativity of Our Lady, and Our Lady of Graces'). *8 September: The Nativity of Our Lady (''Il-Bambina'') in Mellieħa, Naxxar,

and Xagħra *First Sunday after 8 September: Our Lady of Graces ('Il-Madonna tal-Grazzja') *12 September: The Name of Mary ('L-Isem ta' Marija') *21 September: Independence Day ('Jum L-Indipendenza')

October

October is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tar-Rużarju' ('the month of the Rosary'). *Our Lady of the Rosary ('Il-Madonna tar-Rużarju') different villages in Malta and Gozo celebrate Our Lady of Rosary on different days in October

November

November is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tal-inżigħ tal-weraq, tal-erwieħ, u tal-imwiet' ('the month of fallen leaves, of souls, and of deaths'). *2 November: All Souls Day ('L-Għid tal-Erwieħ') *11 November: Saint Martin of Tours ('San Martin') *22 November: Saint Cecilia ('Santa Ċeċilja') *25 November: Saint Catherine of Alexandria ('Santa Katarina ta' Lixandra') *First Sunday after 25 November: Christ the King ('Kristu Re')

December

December is known by the Maltese as 'ix-xahar tal-Milied u tal-Kunċizzjoni' ('the month of Christmas and the Conception') *8 December: Immaculate Conception in Cospicua *13 December: Republic Day ('Jum ir-Repubblika'); Saint Lucy ('Santa Luċija') in Mtarfa *25 December: Christmas ('Il-Milied'), with its traditional procession with the statue of Infant

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

*26 December: Saint Stephen ('San Stiefnu') *28 December: Innocent Saints ('L-Innoċenti Martri') *31 December: Saint Silvester ('San Silvestru')

Distinction between National and Public Holidays

Article 3 of the National Holidays and Other Public Holidays Act (chapter 252) provides the distinction between National and Public Holidays.

The National Holidays shall be public holidays and on those occasions there shall be flown on public buildings the National Flag of Malta.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Holidays In Malta