Next month, the village of Gharb will be celebrating the feast of the Visitation of Our Lady to St. Elizabeth.

There are both internal and external festivities, including processions, band marches and fireworks, which culminate on the feast day itself.

The beautiful and colourful Infiorata cultural event will be presented on the feast day, which this year falls on – Sunday, the 2nd of July.

This event is the initiative of the Gharb Local Council in collaboration with Assocjazzjoni Maltija EspressjonArti Gharb, the Ministry for Gozo, the Parish and Gharb Feast Committee,

This 21st edition of the Infiorata will be laid on the church parvis, Visitation Square, starting from 1.30pm.

The Infiorata has been held on a yearly basis and has proved to be a very popular event for the village during the feast and showcases the artistic talent and creativity of the Gharb community.

Laid on the church parvis, the Infiorata consists of a carpet made of fresh flowers petals and leaves cut in to small pieces and arranged together to form various thematic designs.

It is an old Italian tradition, the oldest one originating in Gerano, which is the twinned village of Gharb and is found in the outskirts of Rome Italy. This tradition in Gerano dates back to around the 17th Century.

Planned weeks in advance by the team in Gharb, they set to work on the intricate design at around 2pm on Sunday, the Feast day, when members of Assocjazzjoni Maltija EspressjonArti Gharb start the painstaking work of the laying of flowers to form this year’s theme.

The Visitation statue procession, then leaves the church at 7.30pm, and passes over the Infiorata – Carpet of flowers.

The Council would like to extend its best wishes for the feast and invite everyone to join in the celebrations on Sunday, the 2nd of July.

File photo

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