Assumption in Malta

Meaning of the feast

The Assumption commemorates the Catholic belief that Mary, having completed her earthly life, was taken body and soul into heavenly glory. Pope Pius XII formally defined this teaching as a dogma in 1950; the Vatican document also describes the belief as one celebrated by the Church for many centuries.[3]

Parish feasts across Malta and Gozo

The Assumption is marked as a parish feast in several localities. The Archdiocese of Malta’s feast listing includes Birkirkara, Gudja, Għaxaq, Ħal Muxi, Ħ’Attard, Mosta, Mqabba and Qrendi, as well as Victoria in Gozo.[4]

Mosta offers one documented example of how a parish festa combines worship and public celebration. Its parish programme includes Mass, a procession with the statue of Our Lady, a festive march by a local philharmonic society, decorated and illuminated streets, and fireworks.[5]

Public holiday and worker entitlements

Malta’s Department for Industrial and Employment Relations lists 15 August as the Feast of the Assumption and classifies it as a public holiday. The department says public holidays are paid according to the applicable Wage Regulation Order or, where none applies, the national standard.[1]

There is no substitute weekday listed for this holiday. If a national or public holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday or an employee’s weekly rest day, whole-time employees are entitled to an additional day of vacation leave in that calendar year; the department says part-time and reduced-hours employees receive the entitlement on a pro-rata basis.[2]

Planning for the day

The public-holiday status does not establish that every workplace or service closes. Check opening hours with the bank, shop, attraction or transport service before you go. Local festa events can also affect streets around the parish celebrations, as the Mosta programme describes processions and activity in streets near its basilica.[2][5]