THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL, KNOWN AS L-IMNARJA, IS DOCUMENTED IN VARIOUS MANUSCRIPTS AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MALTA
The feast of St Peter and St Paul, celebrated on June 29, marks an important moment in Malta’s calendar of popular customs. Traditionally known as L-Imnarja, it predates the arrival of the Knights in 1530 and remains, at its core, a folk festival. Coming just after the harvest, it offered a welcome break from rural labor — a brief period of music, festivity and communal life.
The name L-Imnarja, derived from the Italian or Sicilian luminaria, points to its origins as a festival of light. Illuminations once adorned the cathedral, the walls of Mdina and surrounding areas on the evenings of June 28 and 29. The term appears as early as 1470. On June 1, 1605, the bishop’s vicar ordered such an illumination to celebrate the birth of a son to the king of Spain, and similar displays were later repeated for the feast of St Peter and St Paul. Over time, these illuminations became its defining feature, giving rise to the name still used today.
The celebrations were traditionally preceded by Il-Bandu, a formal proclamation regulating the event, particularly the horse races. Delivered by the Banditore at key points in Mdina, it informed the public of the conditions for participation. This custom, also recorded in Il-Berqa on June 27, 1945, reflects the structured organisation behind the festivities.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, L-Imnarja had developed into a more elaborate occasion, sometimes attended by the grand master and his retinue. Accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries describe a shared rhythm: after religious observances at Mdina Cathedral, crowds made their way to Buskett to eat, sing and dance before returning to watch the horse races.
The National Library of Malta preserves several notable sources on these traditions. Among them is the manuscript of Gio. Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis, Notizie ecclesiastiche per l’anno 1733 (NLM LIBR 142, ff. 300-302). He notes that newly married couples were expected to attend both L-Imnarja and the feast of St Gregory within their first year of marriage, underscoring the feast’s social importance. He also confirms the customary movement from Mdina to Buskett, where celebrations continued until the races began. In Il Gozo antico-moderno, sacro-profano, (NLM LIBR 145, 1746) he refers to a boschetto linked to the feast, noting that since 1720 people gathered there to eat and dance in anticipation of the races.
Visual sources at the National Library of Malta further enrich this picture. The drawings of Charles Frederick de Brocktorff, particularly View of the Boschetto on St Peter and Paul’s Day, capture the festive atmosphere: revelers under awnings, vendors selling qubbajt, and musicians playing the żummara and tambur as others sang għana, drank and danced. At the same time, these works reveal subtle social distinctions, with formally dressed British figures set apart from the more rustic Maltese participants.
Brocktorff’s Maltese Horse Race depicts the climax of the feast, beginning with the firing of a pistol by a government official or magistrate, while a judiciary police figure symbolises order. In Prizes Gained by the Horse Race, the victor parades with supporters carrying the palji — banners of damask, satin and brocade awarded according to the type of race, whether for donkeys, mules, mares or horses and according to final placement. As far back as the 17th century, the red, bluish-green and white satin banners signified first, second and third place respectively.
18th century Bandi and 19th century newspapers, preserved at the National Library, trace the feast’s evolution, particularly with the introduction of the Agricultural Exhibition at Buskett in 1854. Under the Knights, access to Buskett at night had been restricted, but this changed as the exhibition, organised by the Agrarian Society, drew increasing crowds. By 1888, it opened on the eve of the feast and continued into the following day, concluding with a prize distribution by the governor. Today, the agricultural show follows a similar pattern, with prize-giving by the president of Malta and the minister for agriculture remaining a central highlight.
L-Imnarja endures as a layered tradition shaped by religious observance, rural life and social change. From its origins in illumination to its development into a national celebration at Buskett, it reflects both continuity and adaptation.
Through archival records, artistic representations and ongoing practice, the feast offers a vivid insight into Maltese cultural identity, where hard work, devotion and festivity meet.
