Malta...a tiny island with a sophisticated culture. Just what marks its culture is its religious background with a flair for getting out of the warm homes in summer and to spend a cosy evening in the winter!
Briefly....
Malta is a deeply religious country, with very traditional values and norms. Hearing mass on Sunday is still a habit, and shirking away from it is frowned upon by the older generations. The Maltese try to find ways and means how to make life on this tiny island more colourful and varied. New trends and ideas from abroad help to shape the way how the inhabitants spend their time.
The Maltese are usually very helpful and hospitable people. They just love hosting and welcoming tourists, partly because tourism is vital for the survival of Malta. In general they are, however, quite conservative and do not like certain customs that tourists bring along with them sometimes.
Malta has a very weak reading culture. Literature is not cherished in general, except by the cultured lot. However, one cannot say that the Maltese do not read at all, because political papers are scrutinised and read from cover to cover by many, even those who are almost illiterate. Politics is important in Malta, and is the subject of many discussions. Nearly everything in Malta has political connotations, even band clubs and professions.
In summer
The Maltese people just love to go out. In summer, they spend a lot of time by the sea, either swimming during the day or holding barbecues on the sandy or rocky beaches in the evening. The sea is so much part of the culture that there are many who own or rent an apartment by the sea just to be even closer for a plunge.
Village festas, although having religious origins, are nowadays extremely entertaining. This is a typical Maltese tradition, deeply embedded in culture. Being a devout Catholic country, each village in Malta has at least one church dedicated to a patron saint. The village celebrates the feast of its patron saint on a particular weekend. Most festas are held in summer. A festa is a showcase of the village, with hanging colourful pelmets lining the streets, statues adorning the village square and fireworks coloring the skyline at night. The village band also plays a vital role by adding music to the already joyful atmosphere. Being in Malta in summer means that you have to go to a festa to taste the culture of a village.
Open air discotheques are also very in. They bring the music scene out into the open air. These are popular in the hot summer when people just want to spend time outside instead of locked in a stifling overcrowded place.
In winter
In the past few years Malta saw a number of wine bars mushrooming in the traditional villages. Wine-drinking has become a vital part of the culture. Wine bars are always packed with people savouring different wines and typically Maltese platters, including the much sought gbejna (cheeselet) and bigilla dip (a pate made of broad beans) served with the famous Maltese bread (crusted white bread) and galletti (hard water biscuits). The most popular wine bars are those offerng a rustic ambiance with a hint of minimalism in their decor.
Mdina in the evening is also a beckoning old village. Named the Silent City, for the reason its name implies, it attracts locals and tourists alike for its spectacular views and the restaurants satisfying the appetites of demanding patrons.
Malta has so much to offer, so versatile are the possibilites of making life a little more vibrant and full of energy. And all this, in spite of it having just about 30km of length!
