Christmas is a highly celebrated festivity in Malta and Gozo, both for its religious significance as well as in its more social aspect. The season is celebrated to its fullest on the Maltese Islands, with the active participation of many; Nativity scenes, displays of cribs, carol services and other events are organised in each locality. For a very special, spiritual evening, join the congregation at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta for candlelit carol singing. Other Baroque parish churches across the Islands are just as awe-inspiring during advent. Their interiors are decked out in papal crimson and altars are adorned with flowers. All churches have a calendar of events, ranging from the procession of Mary and Joseph, to streets with groups of children carol singing. Cribs are positively everywhere, from private houses to small chapels. Visiting cribs is a popular activity at Christmastime and many locals spend time going round touring the various ‘presepju' displays.  Some are very artistic and elaborate, with figures moving around mechanically and a degree of detail that comes from hours of meticulous work by dedicated craftsmen. A Christmas highlight, which is popular for children and adults alike, is the annual pantomime held at the Manoel Theatre. It's a happy mix of good slapstick humour for children and satire for adults. In Maltese Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Il-Milied it-Tajjeb'.

The below are some Maltese traditions during the festive season:

Decorations

What’s Christmas spirit without decorations? Most streets in Malta are decorated with bright blinking lights, starting from mid-November. Many village centres are also decorated including the parish church. Most people truly celebrate Christmas in their home by covering every inch of their house with some sort of Christmas themed decoration. These houses are a hive of decorations from lights, cribs, Father Christmas and tinsil. But the majority of homeowners start decorating their homes by end November, beginning December.

Baby Jesus In A Manger

The nativity is the story about the birth of baby Jesus; where he was born in a manger away from a warm bed. He was surrounded by animals and not among friends and family. Strangers came bearing gifts; some with sheep and others with precious, expensive items like gold. Therefore, the members of the Nativity include: the Holy Family, a shepherd or two, three wise men, some animals including sheep, a cow and a donkey and finally an angel. To have them all placed together, we call it, a Christmas Crib (Presepju). This is a big tradition in Malta!

Gulbiena

Vetches (Gulbiena or Gurbiena) are grown in Malta to be used as a Christmas decoration. It is unique to Malta to surround our cribs and baby Jesus figurines with noodle-like shrubs. Growing gulbiena, or ‘light deprived vetches’ to decorate our Christmas cribs has got to be one of Malta’s most intriguing traditions, especially with its odd requirements; namely cotton wool and darkness. The wheat, grain and canary seeds are usually planted five weeks before Christmas, and watered every two days, so that they will be at their best by the time Christmas arrives. The weeds, much like a Christian metaphor, grow tall in the darkness as they search for light.

Midnight Mass

A traditional Maltese celebration of Christmas includes attending a midnight mass. This tradition, embraced by all parishes on the island, dates back to 1883 and has not decreased in popularity. If you visit Malta during Christmas Eve, taking part in a midnight mass, regardless of your religion, should be high on your list. You can follow this tradition in every town and village in Malta, but Valletta, Sliema and Rabat-Mdina area are particularly renowned not only for the most well-attended masses but also for offering the most dazzling Christmas lights along their streets. Expect nothing more than a romantic walk through the decorated streets whilst stopping every now and then to admire the traditional lovely cribs/nativity scenes with ‘pasturi’ (small figurines representing shepherds, wise men and angels), which Maltese craftsmen beautifully bring to life year after year. 

Two main traditional Christmas sweets are the following:

Hot Chestnut and Cocoa Soup – Imbuljuta Tal-Qastan

Imbuljuta is the traditional Maltese drink served after Midnight Mass on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.  It is the perfect recipe for those special nights when you want something hot, spicy and deliciously seasonal.  This drink has that wonderful Christmassy smell to it, with the cloves, cinnamon and chocolate and orange and tangerine rinds as ingredients. And of course chestnuts! Generally it is served in mugs or small bowls and always piping hot.

Honey or Treacle Rings – Qagħaq tal-Għasel

Qagħaq tal-għasel are sweet pastry rings filled with a treacle mixture.  Literally translated they are ‘honey rings’; but there is absolutely no honey in the recipe.  The main ingredient in the filling is treacle.  In Maltese treacle is known as għasel iswed; so probably that is why they are known as honey rings.  Years ago village people used qastanija, and not treacle, for their qagħaq tal-għasel.  This was made by melting down honey-combs after the honey had been extracted from them.  In all probability qastanija is a corruption of the Italian castagna, which means chestnut.  It might be that it was so called because the mixture was the colour of chestnuts.  But there are absolutely no chestnuts in the mixture. Through the years qastanija was substituted by black treacle.  For those who have a very sweet tooth, sugar is added to the filling mixture.