February … traditional festa in Valletta … Valentine’s Day … Carnival … sounds like a great month to study English in Malta!
February is a truly eventful month in Malta. The first occasion is on 10th February – a national holiday on which we celebrate the feast of our patron saint: St Paul’s Shipwreck, in the beautifully decorated streets of Malta’s capital city, Valletta. Malta commemorates the shipwreck of St Paul on the Maltese Islands in 60 AD, which is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. It is also the first of the year’s major feasts known as the Maltese village ‘festa’ – a traditional Maltese sociocultural celebration characterised by colourful street banners, band marches, outdoor processions, fireworks and lights, and culminates with a the statue of the patron saint being carried shoulder-high along the streets of the town. The festa is an integral part of Malta’s heritage and if you’re studying English with us this February, rest assured that we will organise a free excursion to the capital city of Valletta for you to witness this special event. What’s more, this year the feast will happen to fall on a Friday, which means that you would have a long weekend as no classes will be held on the day.
Next comes Valentine’s Day on Tuesday 14th February, and for the romantic couples we would recommend a nice relaxing evening by the sea in Spinola Bay, certainly the ideal setting for a lovely cosy dinner, with its famous LOVE monument/sign/statue overlooking the intimate and picturesque bay in St Julian’s, which is only a few minutes’ walk from Gateway School of English GSE. For the singles, a night out roaming the bars and clubs of Paceville, Malta’s most popular nightlife area, just might land you Cupid’s arrow and bring you love at first sight 🙂 Who knows, perhaps next year you might return for another English language course at our school with your new significant other, to celebrate the first anniversary since your romantic encounter in Malta!
Last but not least we will be ending the month with a bang thanks to Carnival (24/02/2017 – 28/02/2017). This is a time of colour and fun in Malta and Gozo, with festivities that are not to be missed. These include carnival parades, the biggest of which take place in Valletta and are characterised by colourful floats which are paraded through the streets of the capital among the crowds of colourfully costumed revelers dancing along. If you’re the type who likes to party and join in the fun then you’ll definitely be spoilt for choice at this time of year. To top it all, we at Gateway also organise a trip to the world renowned ‘spontaneous’ Carnival in Gozo, combining a sightseeing tour of Gozo with a ‘one of a kind’ carnival celebration that takes place in the quaint village of Nadur which comes to life with everyone literally dancing the night away. Not to mention the magical experience of crossing back from Gozo to Malta by the Ferry at night! An unforgettable adventure indeed.
On a final note, meteorologists are predicting a warm February in Malta with plenty of sunshine, making your English language learning experience with us even more Mediterranean 🙂
See you in Malta this February!
Traditional Maltese Festa in Valletta:
Valentine’s Day in Spinola Bay St Julian’s:
Carnival in Malta & Gozo:
