Mnarja is the principal folk festival of Malta and a public holiday there, thought to have
been originally a harvest festival.
It is held in Buskett Gardens, a park with extensive vineyards and orange and lemon
orchards not far from Mdina, Malta's medieval capital.
The name of the festival is a corruption of the Italian luminaria, meaning "illumination,"
since in long-ago times, the bastions around Mdina were illuminated by bonfires for the
event.
At one time, Mnarja was such a popular and important feast that a husband traditionally
promised his bride on their wedding day that he would take her to Buskett on Mnarja
Day every year.
Festivities begin on the eve of Mnarja with an agricultural show that continues through
the next morning and folk-singing ( ghana ) and folk-music competitions.
The traditional food of the evening is fried rabbit.
On the following day, bareback horse and donkey races bring the feast to an end. The
winners receive paljj, "embroidered banners," which they donate to their town church.
Full story:
https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Mnarja
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