At the end of a busy week, all the students were looking forward to another cultural activity where they could socialise, practise their English in a laid back and relaxed environment and discover more about Malta’s religious and historical aspects.
The Maltese Islands consist of Malta, Gozo, and Comino and there are over 360 churches, which means one church for every 1,000 residents, which is a staggering number. The parish church (“il-parroċċa” or “il-knisja parrokjali” in Maltese) is the architectural and geographic focal point of every Maltese town and village.
Many towns and villages also have their own patron saint. Msida is no different and it traditionally celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph on the first Sunday after July 16. This includes marching bands, religious processions, special Masses, fireworks, and other festivities.
Since the Msida feast was getting closer, we obviously wanted to grasp the opportunity and give our students a taste of what a typical feast in Malta is all about, where locals gather in the town together to enjoy food and music in local bars or on the streets, chatting over a nice refreshing drink and some scrumptious snacks.
Katrin, one of Maltalingua’s teachers, also gave us an interesting tour of the local band club ‘Għaqda Melita Banda San Ġużepp’, which was celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. We explored the committee rooms (see photos) and then joined the marching band on the main street of Msida. Then, we relaxed and soaked up the Maltese atmosphere, tasted the food and enjoyed the local drinks! Eventually, we had to take the coach back to St Julian’s, but Dino, Cedric and Yutaka were so fascinated by this occasion, they decided to stay on.
The turnout for this excursion was beyond our expectations. Not only did all the students who signed up, turn up, an extra half a dozen students decided to join; as the age old saying goes, “The more the merrier!”
written by Katrin Risiott