VALLETTA 2018
EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE
A UNIQUE CITY // A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
c. Tomoko Goto
HOW DO WE CELEBRATE ISLAND LIFE?
BELT UNIKA // ESPERJENZA UNIKA KIF NIĊĊELEBRAWHA L-ĦAJJA TAL-GŻIRA?
Maltese celebrations are best known for their brightness and exuberance. Since local tradition is steeped in passion, enthusiasm and flair, we’re set to celebrate our European Capital of Culture year through the best festive language we know – that of the traditional Maltese festa, as experienced in the most present and contemporary sense. For the Maltese, the village festa – or village feast – conjures up crowded streets lined with gold-leaf pillars, bright lights and banners, boisterous laughter, and the sight of fireworks as they fly up and unfurl against the sky.
And while such exhilarating moments may be fleeting, the community celebrations and the spirit of the festa are bound to linger about a locality long after such sights, sounds and smells have faded into the night air. The traditional Maltese festa, in short, is an event where people and families meet to celebrate and talk; it serves to infuse our localities with warmth, life and colour, while bringing the community together. And this is why we wish our European Capital of Culture year to look to this enduring celebration for inspiration.
Iċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet Maltin huma magħrufa l-iktar għat-tlellix u l-eżuberanza tagħhom. Ġaladarba t-tradizzjoni lokali hija magħġuna fil-passjoni, fl-entużjażmu u fil-ħila kreattiva, ninsabu lesti biex niċċelebraw il-Kapitali Ewropea tal-Kultura bl-aħjar lingwa festiva li nafu – dik tal-festa tradizzjonali Maltija kif esperjenzata fil-ġurnata tal-lum. Għall-Maltin, il-festa tar-raħal hija sinonima ma’ folol ta’ nies li jinżlu fit-toroq u joħonqu l-ispazju li jifdal madwar il-kolonni indurati, mal-pavaljuni jaqsmu min-naħa għall-oħra
tat-triq, mad-dija tal-fustuni li jixegħluhom, mal-atmosfera ferriħija, u mal-logħob tan-nar meraviljuż li jispara lejn is-sema u jiftaħ biex ikompli jsebbaħ il-lejl. U għalkemm mumenti ewforiċi bħal dawn ma jdumux ma jispiċċaw, iċ-ċelebrazzjonijiet tal-komunità u l-ispirtu festiv jitnikkru u jibqgħu jimirħu l-lokalità ferm wara li l-viżjonijiet, il-ħsejjes u l-irwejjaħ distintivi jegħbu fil-ħemda tal-lejl. Fi ftit kliem, il-festa tradizzjonali Maltija hija avveniment fejn in-nies u l-familji jingħaqdu biex jiċċelebraw u jgħidu