Pillar 03 · Festa & Traditions

Żejtun Festa Etiquette for Visitors: The Unwritten Rules

The festa is a working religious observance for the people who live here, and it is also great fun. The two facts coexist easily, but only if visitors hold up their end. Here is the short list of courtesies.

This article is a stub. We’ll keep refining it — small pieces of feedback from parishioners and visitors are welcome.

The unwritten rules

Don’t stand in front of the procession to take a photograph; step aside, let it pass, and shoot from the side. Don’t drink alcohol noisily during the procession itself — the band club bars before and after are appropriate; the procession route during the procession is not. Don’t crowd the door of the church when the statue is coming out; that moment is for the parishioners. Inside the church at any time during festa week, dress modestly: shoulders covered, no swimwear-style tops, no shorts that ride above the knee. Phones on silent. Photography in the church is generally tolerated outside services but never during one.

Cash is welcome — at the band club bars, at the food stalls, at the church for any donations. ATMs in town do run dry on festa Friday and Saturday, so bring more than you think you need. [LOCAL FACT — Mattew to confirm the current locations of the most reliable festa-week ATMs.] Be patient with parking; better still, don’t drive in.

Two specific moments to watch for

Two moments in festa week deserve particular attention from visitors. The first is when the titular statue of St Catherine is brought out of the church at the start of the procession on Sunday evening; the parishioners gather close to the church doors and the moment is genuinely a sacred one for them. Step back, give them the space, and if you photograph it, do so from across the square. The second is the moment the statue returns to the church late at night; the town gathers, the bands play a slower, quieter march, and the festa formally ends. Both are moments to attend rather than perform at.

What this article will cover

  • Dress code, in and out of the church
  • Where to stand at the procession
  • How to use the band club bars politely
  • Cash, tips, and small donations
  • Photography do’s and don’ts
  • Children at the festa — what works at what age

Read more on this pillar

Part of our Festa & Traditions pillar. Pair with the day-by-day programme, the band clubs, and the Good Friday pageant.

Mattew Cassar

Resident · Writer

Mattew writes zejtun.com from a flat above his grandfather’s old workshop on Triq San Girgor. He has lived in Żejtun for twenty-three of his thirty-one years.