Being away from home is hard. Especially when home is a beautiful little island in the heart of the Mediterranean, and especially when your mum keeps sending you pictures of the sunrise over the sea and the pool on a hot afternoon. I understand why the Maltese have such a strong sense of national pride - where else in the world could you find that great combination of sun, sea, beauty, culture and history within a mere 91 square miles?
So how do you retain that pride, or even that memory of the joys found at home, when you're miles away in a country whose summer is dominated by cold spells and random showers almost every day? You find other Maltese to celebrate being Maltese with...obviously!!!
Having spent a large portion of time googling Maltese expats in London, I finally discovered that on Saturday 13th September, in the very heart of London, the Maltese Culture Movement (MCM!!!!) are celebrating Malta Day UK!!! Excited does not even begin to describe how I feel about this!! Especially since it will be held right here in London, at Westminster Cathedral Hall. A beautiful location for a fantastic event!!
Malta Day will comprise of three main events, beginning with a Maltese Fair from 10 til 2. The fair will have stalls selling all sorts of Maltese goodies, including I hope some lovely fresh ftejjer (Maltese bread). Air Malta will certainly have a stand there, and hopefully I'll get the chance to win some cheap or even free flights home! And I'm very excited to meet the actual people behind the Maltese Culture Movement, and congratulate them on this brilliant event.
There will also be some ongoing typically Maltese activities. I imagine the highlight of this will be drinking Cisk whilst playing the tombola, which is particularly popular amongst the older generation in Malta. The many nights I was dragged to the tombola club with my grandmother because she was meant to be babysitting me!!! I'm looking forward to seeing the Maltese characters Zepp, Grezz and Ghonnella - that was something I was never really exposed to when I was younger. I bet it'll be h-iiii-larious!!!!
After the fair closes, there will be a concelebrated mass held in Westminster Cathedral at 2.30pm. This should be quite impressive, as the homily will be given by a Maltese Cardinal, and a welcoming address given by the Maltese High Commissioner. I hope it will be in English, otherwise I'm gonna have a difficult time convincing boyfriend that he wants to attend!!!
The final part of Malta day is the Evening Gala Dinner and Dance. This is being held at Kingsway Hall Hotel in Covent Garden, and I'm very annoyed that I can't attend because it's just too expensive for me to afford. For those who can though, read all about the reception here. It sounds brilliant - there will be a full three course dinner, supplemented by lots of wine and a Maltese cheese board. I imagine it will be super classy, and I hope it goes really well for all the organisers!!!
So if any of you chaps in London are Maltese, or are curious about the Maltese, please do pop in and visit Malta Day. I'd love it to be a success, so that they continue to hold it every year, and then for one day a year in England, I can feel like I'm at home :D
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