Carnivals in Malta were first organised shortly after the Knights of St John came to the Island in 1535. The first that really broke out into general jollification was probably the Carnival of 1560, when a Christian Armada was harbour-bound in Malta before sailing to Tripoli.
From 1751 onwards a rival Carnival attraction took place in Floriana a few weeks before Carnival proper and it too, involved a défilé of masks and carriages. The Order encouraged the craze by staging extra carnivals called Mad Carnivals for special occasions. During that period it was usual for the Grand Master’s carriage to head the Carnival procession and it would be flanked by cavalry marching to the beat of the drums.
Today, Carnival is one of the main events in the Maltese cultural calendar. Carnival is organised prior to the Catholic period of Lent which precedes the religious festivities of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The main activities are held in the streets of the Maltese capital Valletta and in Floriana, but other activities are held in various villages in Malta and Gozo.
Origins of Carnival
Carnival is the oldest festival in the world. Some authors even suggest it originated around 10,000 BC, from the seasonal farming rituals of the ancient peoples. They would greet the return of the spring solstice with singing and dancing. The Catholic Church initially repudiated the pagan festivals of the primitive peoples but as it found it impossible to eliminate them, it incorporated them into the Julian-Gregorian calendar adapted by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Carnival dates for Christians were fixed according to the Catholic Easter, the festival of Christ’s Resurrection, the Church’s sacred dogma. The Catholic Easter Sunday varies between 22 March and 25 April and Carnival Sunday always occurs seven Sundays before Easter, between February and March. This applies also to the Brazilian Carnival.
Carnival Programme
From tomorrow until Tuesday 20 February
Tomorrow
6pm onward: Dancing competitions followed by the entrance of Sec D, and company floats in the Carnival Enclosure. Tickets for the enclosure cost Lm1.50.
Saturday 17 February
9.30am onwards: Children’s Carnival activity including dancing, float défilé and merriment along Republic Street, Valletta and in the Carnival Enclosure. Tickets for the enclosure cost Lm2.
3.30pm onwards: Dancing competitions followed by the entrance of Triumphal floats. Tickets for the enclosure cost Lm3.
Sunday 18 February
2pm onwards: Carnival dancing competition followed by the entrance of the grand défilé in Carnival Enclosure and through Valletta Roads. Tickets for the enclosure cost Lm3.50.
Monday 19 February
6pm onwards: Dancing competitions followed by the entrance of floats into the Carnival Enclosure. Tickets for the enclosure cost Lm1.50.
Tuesday 20 February
4pm onwards: Entrance of Defile in Carnival Enclosure. Ticket for the enclosure at Lm1.50.
6.30pm onwards: Grand Finale at St Anne’s Street, Floriana.