Valletta, Malta
Leave your feedback
LEAVE YOUR FEEDBACK

Video ID: 904

Submitting Feedback

Malta’s Carnival celebrations are almost 500 years old

Description

Carnival has had an important place in the Maltese cultural calendar for just under five centuries, having been celebrated since the mid-15th century.

Festivities are usually held in February during the week leading up to Ash Wednesday, and typically includes masked balls, fancy dress and grotesque mask competitions, as well as a parade of floats marching bands and costumed revelers.

Carnival in Malta started in Vittoriosa, where a number of knights played games and displayed their skills in various pageants and tournaments.

Since the 1920s, carnival in Malta has been centered in and around Valletta and Floriana, however there are several ‘spontaneous’ carnivals elsewhere.

Carnival in Gozo was first organised in 1952 with floats and parades in the centre of Victoria and in Nadur.

The Nadur Carnival in Gozo is notable for its darker, wilder and more risqué themes where revellers dress up in ghost costumes, horror masks or as the main political figures of the day.

Carnival week has always been a time to let your hair down and go with the flow.

More places from Valletta

Malta pays tribute to Sir Winston Churchill
Valletta, Malta churchill in malta churchill death
This archive footage shows how Malta mourned the death of Sir Winston Churchill....
A new lease of life for a Valletta landmark
Valletta, Malta Anton Buttigieg mcc opening 1979
This archive footage shows some of the extensive restoration work carried out in...
Honouring Maltese social reformer Manwel Dimech
Valletta, Malta
This film from the archives shows the installation of a statue of Maltese social...
Valletta marks a very special anniversary
Valletta, Malta Archbishop Michael Gonzi valletta anniversary
This colour footage from the archives shows special events in Valletta in 1966 t...
The proud history of Fort St Elmo in Valletta
Valletta, Malta
Guarding Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour is Fort St Elmo, named after the patr...
Valletta prepares for Carnival in the 1950s
Valletta, Malta carnival in malta
Carnival in Malta falls right before Lent, usually at the end of February. The f...
Building one of Malta’s most iconic landmarks
Valletta, Malta
With its huge dome, the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of the most ...
Malta marks the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
Valletta, Malta Easter in Malta
The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, or ‘Jum id-Duluri’ has a special p...
State Opening of Malta’s Parliament in 1950s
Valletta, Malta George Borg Olivier opening of malta parliament
This amazing film from our archives shows the pomp and ceremony surrounding the ...
Malta celebrates the Coronation of King George V
Valletta, Malta King George V Coronation
This amazing archive footage shows a military parade in Valletta to mark the Cor...
What powers does the President of Malta have?
Valletta, Malta Agatha Barbara
The President of Malta is the island’s head of state. Presidents serve a f...
‘It was terrible’: How Malta survived the war
Valletta, Malta archive footage malta war
This extraordinary archive footage shows how people in Malta struggled during th...

Places Nearby

A unique glimpse of a bygone era in St Julian’s
St Julian's Archbishop Michael Gonzi
This is how St Julian’s looked in the 1960s. Spinola Bay has changed so mu...
End of an era: The moment the British forces left Malta
Vittoriosa Dom Mintoff Freedom Day
Malta, once Britain’s most important air and naval base in the Mediterrane...
Traditional games Maltese kids used to play in the street
Malta children's games
Less than 20 years ago Maltese children weren’t glued to smartphones, addi...
A Maltese Christmas Tradition on Christmas Eve
Gwardamanġa
The procession of Baby Jesus is commonly held on Christmas Eve in the quiet stre...
Remembering the tragic events of Sette Giugno in Malta
Valletta, Malta Sette Giugno
Sette Giugno is a national holiday in Malta to commemorate the tragic events of ...
A new lease of life for a Valletta landmark
Valletta, Malta Anton Buttigieg mcc opening 1979
This archive footage shows some of the extensive restoration work carried out in...
Meet Malta’s four-legged police recruits of the 1970s
Floriana Joe Dimech Malta Police
This is TVM news veteran Joe Dimech interviewing Sergeant Tony Gatt from the Mal...
Restoration of Tarxien Parish Church
TARXIEN
The parish church of Tarxien was built in 1595 and is dedicated to the Annunciat...
When Malta went quiet for the nation’s first TV broadcast
Gwardamanġa Charles Arrigo maltese television
At St Luke’s Hospital, patients and nurses watched together, while in Gozo...
The history of Malta’s Great Siege Monument
Valletta, Malta Great Siege of Malta
The Great Siege Monument in Valletta commemorates the Great Siege of Malta in 15...
Malta’s Grand Harbour has always lived up to its name
Grand Harbour Royal Navy Malta
Malta’s majestic Grand Harbour is one of the most spectacular ports in the...
A look inside one of Malta’s Royal Naval Hospitals
Mtarfa
The Royal Navy Hospital Mtarfa, also known as David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital i...