In summer between May and October there is at leats one village festa every week-end. These church festas have been moved to the summer so that they can be enjoyed by tourists, who simply love them and also the weather does not play so much havoc with the street decorations.
The only winter festas are the Shipwreck of St Paul which is celebrated on February 10, the feast of St Joseph on March 19, the Good Friday procession and Easter Morning Procession and the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. These are very popular with tourists and tours are organized to these festas regularly.
Another interesting festa and very popular as well with tourists is undoubtedly Carnival. The people simply love the colorful floats and the dancing on the square. Carnival is held four days before the start of Lent, supposedly a time of penance and sacrifice. People before used to fast three times a week, so carnival meant a few days of merry-making before the forty days of penance. The festival is officially opened with the Parata, an ancient sword dance commemorating Malta's victory over the Turks in 1565. Malta's carnival reached its heyday in the 18th century. From 1925 the outdoor festivities were organized by the Malta Carnival Committee. Grotesque masks and decorated floats file through Republic Street while various companies in costume enter the enclosure to perform their dance. Typical sweets for Carnival are the Perlini. These are almonds coated in sugar of various colors, as well as a cake called Prinjolata (this is of Italian origin) but cooked very well in Malta. It is made out of a special seed, almonds, cake, eggs etc. then coated with beaten meringue and chocolate is poured over it and it is also decorated with cherries. Carnival provides the people with color, music and spectacle.