Monday, 10 Feb, was a national holiday celebrating the Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck. It commemorates the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul on the Maltese Islands, an event which took place in 60 AD and which is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Paul was a prisoner on his way to Rome when his boat crashed on a rocky coast of the island. Malta is a very Catholic country and they are very proud of their role in saving Paul’s life. St. Paul is the patron saint of Malta and, according to a friendly woman on the street, it was Paul who brought religion to the island. Most businesses were closed and a huge celebration took place in Valletta. We spent the afternoon enjoying the festivities.
Mass was in the morning. For the rest of the day, people celebrated by walking with the band through the streets of Valletta. At half past 5, a large statue of Paul was carried out of the church and around the streets.
People walked along or trailed behind, cheering and enjoying the music. The band would march along, then stop and play. They would take a break and then return marching along more streets, stopping and taking a break. Pretty much all day!
As part of the celebration, people threw tons and tons of shredded paper from their balconies.
The kids went wild over all the paper on the ground. The air was filled with shrieks of happy children as well as paper!
At one point, we left the band to find the church of St. Paul’s Shipwreck. Notice the snake carving to the right of Sylvia. Legend has it that when Paul landed on Malta, he was bit by a poisonous snake. He was not harmed, leading the Maltese to believe that he was a special person. St. Paul is also the patron saint of snake bites.
The streets were decorated with huge banners in bright, cheery colors.
We had a great afternoon. It was fun to be a part of the celebration and to experience the pride the Maltese have in their heritage, history and religion.
SylLy Acres 
February 11, 2014 at 3:45 pm
Well goodness, who knew?! They sure know how to celebrate – it’s so colorful. Lily looks like she’s holding a huge pompom.
February 12, 2014 at 6:05 am
We weren’t even going to go at first because we couldn’t find any information about what was going on where and when – just that you should go to Valletta to celebrate. I’m so glad we went and had the chance to be a part of the festivities. I hear Carnival is even better! I like the idea of throwing paper instead of candy like they do at every parade in Decorah. The girls asked if there would be candy but they weren’t disappointed because the paper was so fun!
February 12, 2014 at 6:07 am
Oh, and learning about the history of St. Paul and his relationship to Malta and his time spent here was so interesting. The history of this island is so fascinating!