Let's Party?

Who doesn't love a good party? No, seriously! Even if you are more on the introverted side, who wouldn't love a good party?

Their ain't no party like a Maltese Party - sorry, Kid Rock.

Credit: Malta.com

Before we get into that, we need to talk about Catholicism - right, I know two completely different things - or are they? 

Unlike America, in Malta there is no such thing as separation of Church and State. The two are very much intertwined. Each village has their own patron saint, and they have a large feast in their honor each year. Picture a large carnival for at least a week, it's crazy, really!  With lots of food trucks, face painting and merchants selling their homemade goods. 

Streetview of Haz-Zebbug Credit: Ami Z

Fire works before they go off Credit: Ami Z

These festas have the most amazing fireworks, and have the tradition of the strongest men in the village carrying around the patron saint of their village - which is a very high honor. The fireworks are a pyro's dream - as Malta does not have any type of restrictions on fireworks and they can get very creative as well as sometimes dangerous. 

My favorite part of the festa is seeing how the village comes together, and how people from other villages share in this tradition. It's something we in the U.S could really learn from is the community togetherness, even if it is just for one week! 

Maltese outside of Malta

So now that we have established where Maltese people are from, where outside of Europe have they migrated to? Why did they migrate?

Well, our little Malta because of it's location, small size and small military was often taken advantage of. In WWII, Malta was bombed by Hitler. This was a key stronghold in which Hitler could use to sustain their North African campaign and eventually attack Italy. My nannu and nanna (grandparents) were part of this awful time, and often had to hide or live underground for long periods of time.

There are actually more Maltese people living in Australia than there are in Malta (of course, this includes the Maltese decedents - 2nd and 3rd generation). There is a large population of Maltese people in Detroit as well that migrated during when the auto industry started to boom. In Michigan, there are two clubs - The Maltese American Community Club located in Dearborn, and The Maltese Benevolent Society located in Detroit. These clubs were originally established to help Maltese immigrants come together and make the transition from Malta to The United States.

Maltese Club in Dearborn. Photo Credit: Phil Cini

Maltese Club in Detroit. Photo Credit: Mark Vella

These clubs are still around today and are open to everyone, it does not matter if you are Maltese or not. Each club has their own events to celebrate the culture, and in some cases to participate it is encouraged that you be of Maltese decent. A few examples of these events include the Miss. Malta Pageant where young women between the ages of 16-25 compete for a plane ticket to Malta. The winner receives the plane ticket, and the 1st runner-up receives beautiful jewelry. There is also the Grech-Cumbo Family Foundation Scholarship given to the student who has provided outstanding service to the Maltese American Community.  This year has been a blessing for me personally as I have been able to win both. 

Pauline Bynum and Myself (L to R) Photo Credit: Lori Bynum

While our community is very small in stature, the passion for it in the small group is quite large. Leave any comments, questions about events, etc. below!