The festive season has started again, and people are getting ready to celebrate Christmas. Malta is a very catholic country and values traditions and religious festivities above everything else. Christmas is no exception. Although you will not find snow here, and usually not even people wearing winter garments, the Christmas spirit is present everywhere. The Maltese decorate the country with elaborate crib displays, Christmas lights, and in some places even with decorative Christmas trees. Well, Christmas trees… they are a little hard to come by on the island, as they need to be imported, and this makes them much more expensive than in northern Europe. As a consequence, the Maltese usually use fake Christmas trees in their homes.
Most localities decorate their centres with beautiful Christmas light displays, notable examples are in Valletta and Sliema. There are also many recurring Christmas events in Malta. There is for example a Christmas village in Qawra on December 6th, a nativity village in Għajnsielem in Gozo from the 6th of December to 5th of January, an artisan Christmas market in the Hotel Phoenicia from the 13th -14th December, a Christmas Art Exhibition in the Auberge d’Italie from the 15th December, a Christmas Concert in Naxxar on the 15th, a Carol Concert in Marsaskala on the 19th and in Żejtun on the 21st, and a special mystery event on the 24th in Ir-Razzett l-Antik. On Christmas day, there are of course Christmas masses in every parish church. Here is an in depth calendar of events for Christmas in Malta.
As you can see, there are many events in December celebrating Christmas and getting you into the spirit. Compared to Christmas in northern Europe, the atmosphere in Malta is a little different, especially when you are a foreigner from the north, and not used to celebrating Christmas in 15 or even 20 C°. I personally find Christmas in Malta more relaxed than in the UK or Germany, mostly because I am not concerned about venturing out into the cold when I buy presents. Everyone at the office of Dr Werner & Partner wishes you a pleasant pre-Christmas season and happy holidays!
