Malta Local Customs

  Maltese currency: Euro
by HORSCHECK
 
  • Maltese currency: Euro
      Maltese currency: Euro
    by HORSCHECK
  • Maltese Euro coins
      Maltese Euro coins
    by HORSCHECK
  • Marsaxlokk: Maltese cat
      Marsaxlokk: Maltese cat
    by HORSCHECK
  • Marsaxlokk: Maltese cats
      Marsaxlokk: Maltese cats
    by HORSCHECK
  • Marsaxlokk: Maltese cat
      Marsaxlokk: Maltese cat
    by HORSCHECK
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Kinnie

by leics

The Maltese love Kinnie, apparently.It's a soft drink, made from bitter oranges and herbs. I had to taste it, of course. I'm still not entirely sure whether I liked it or not. The bitterness is something I'm not used to, but I can see that it would be very refreshing in the heat.You'll find it anywhere which sells soft drinks, at around a euro a bottle (a bit less in less touristy places).A 'must-taste' in Malta, at least once.And do look at the website. There is something endearingly 70s-ish about its introduction!

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Festas

by pure1942

From the start of May and on through the summer every town and village in Malta puts on its own festa. The festas are celebrations of each town and village’s patron saint and are marked with music, dancing and of course...fireworks. During the festas, which last over several days, the streets of the towns and villages are covered and lined with colourful street banners and decorations. Most festas are held between June and August but we caught one of Valletta’s festas in early May, when the streets were decorated in huge red and yellow banners and live music and bands passed through the narrow streets and locals carry a large statue of the local saint through the streets. The local churches were also covered in lights.

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Fireworks

by pure1942

Fireworks are a huge tradition in Malta with a large number of fireworks factories located all over the island. The Maltese are world-renowned for their fireworks and have been world champions in fireworks competitions, beating heavy weight fireworks traditionalists like China.We were lucky enough to visit at the start of May during the fireworks festival and witnessed the spectacular fireworks display over the Grand Harbour.

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British Legacy!

by pure1942

All over the country you will see reminders of Britain’s influence in Malta. The red telephone kiosks and letter boxes so common in Britain are dotted all over Malta. Some have been removed but others have been left in place. The old British built buses are another reminder as well as the significant British ex-pat community in Malta.

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Bird Hunting

by pure1942

Whatever your opinion on bird hunting be careful of voicing your opinion out-loud in Malta. Bird Hunting is a hugely popular activity in Malta and along the cliffs all over the islands you will see small stone huts which have been constructed by hunters. It is a hugely controversial issue in Malta and is a hot topic in Brussels with the EU squeezing Malta to change its bird hunting laws which in turn are being heavily contested by Malta’s bird hunters who see it as one of their countries traditional sports. If you are opposed to this ‘sport’ you can show your support to Malta’s bird hunting opposition at www.birdlifemalta.org

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Language

by pure1942

The Maltese language (Malti) is very unusual to listen to. It sounds more Arabic than any other European language, due of course to its past and the historical influence of the Ottomans and North African culture. It is a semetic language and is thought to be related closely to the original language of the Phoenicians. It is the only semetic language to be written in the Latin script. It can also be difficult to pronounce what you see. There are several rules of pronunciation which can be hard to grasp. For example għ at the beginning of words are silent, so the town of Għarb on Gozo is actually pronounced ‘aarb’. When an ‘x’ is present it usually sounds like an ‘sh’, so Marsaxlokk is actually pronounced marsa-shlock. It’s great to listen to but difficult to even pick up a few words. The letter ‘h’ has two forms. A ‘h’ as written in English is silent while a ‘ħ’ pronounced...

Wine

by pure1942

Malta produces a good range of good value wine. Sampled quite a few different varieties and were generally happy with all of them except the cheap ‘Red Label’ brand sold as ‘local wine’ in many of the bars...avoid this one if there is another option. The Marsovin vineyard produces nice red wine in the north of the country. We had a nice bottle from this vineyard called ‘La Torre’. Gozo also produces wine and we tried a merlot from the Victoria Heights vineyard which was quite nice too. When Malta joined the EU, they dropped their tax on foreign wines and subsequently many wine bars popped up around the cities. The better ones (Trabuxu in Valletta was ouor favourite) serve a huge range of foreign and local wines.

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House Numbers

by pure1942

It can be confusing walking along the streets in Maltese towns and cities. In Ireland, houses are usually numbered with houses alternating from one side to the other...#1 on the left, #2 on the right, #3 on the left, #4 on the right etc. In Malta it doesn’t work this way with all the houses on one side of the street being numbered in order and at the end of the street, switches over to the other side of the street and back along.

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Rabbit

by pure1942

Along with the ubiquitous pasta and pizza the most popular dish on Maltese dishes is Rabbit. The national dish is usually cooked in a wine and garlic sauce or served in a type of Stew. If you’re a bunny lover, be prepared to be faced with this option on a huge number of Maltese menus :) Bobbyland restaurant at the Dingli Cliffs is a famous restaurant specialising in rabbit but you will find plenty of places serving rabbit all around Malta.Other local delicacies include a variety of seafood (obviously) , goats cheese and a lovely tasting Maltese Sausage.

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Cisk

by pure1942

This local brew went down a lot easier than the Kinnie. Not one of my most memorable foreign samples but was quite agreeable, especially when sitting out in one of Valletta’s many outdoor terraces on a hot day. The cisk brewery also produces the Kinnie soft drink as well a British style Ale called Hopleaf.

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Local traditions and culture in Malta

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Local Customs: Cities in Malta
  1. Valletta Local Customs
  2. Gozo Local Customs
  3. Sliema Local Customs
  4. Malta Local Customs
  5. Saint Julian's Local Customs
  6. Mellieha Local Customs
  7. Mdina Local Customs
  8. Marsaxlokk Local Customs
  9. Vittoriosa Local Customs
  10. Rabat Local Customs
  11. Mosta Local Customs
  12. Msida Local Customs
  13. Senglea Local Customs
  14. Gharb Local Customs
  15. Ggantija Local Customs
  16. Xewkija Local Customs
  17. Balzan Local Customs

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Questions and Answers

mirabelle31 profile photo

Q:  Hello, A question on Xlendi for those who know it. Looking at photos, I get the impression that you need to climb the steps set... 

Maurizioago profile photo

A: Xlendi is a village in Gozo. There is a beach and a rock you can climb if you like to see the sea from afar. You can avoid to do thins thing. I liked this little... 

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