Next Saturday, the village of Xaghra will hold a ceremony to commemorate the two Victories of Malta – 1565 and 1943.

The ceremony, which will be held on the main square, will include reenactments by the Xaghra Historical Reenactment Organisation, of the Great siege of Malta 1565, the Black Plague 1814 and scenes from the Second World War.

The ceremony will conclude with the laying of wreaths in front of the Great Siege monument, which will be temporarily set up in Victory Square, followed by the National Anthem.

It is being organised by Xaghra Parish, in conjunction with the National and Regional Celebrations Committee within the Ministry for Gozo and Xaghra Local Council, on Saturday, the 7th of September, starting at 10am in Victory Square, with the participation of the Malta Police Band and Arm Forces of Malta Guard of Honour.

The end of the Great Siege of 1565 is commemorated on the 8th of September, this year marks the 454th anniversary of the Great Siege of Malta; the epic 1565 battle that made a legend out of a little island that, against all odds, withstood invasion from an empire.The Great Siege of Malta commenced in May of 1565 when the Ottoman Empire began invading Malta, which was then occupied by the Order of the Knights of St John.

After several months of continuous battle and bloodshed the Siege came to an end on the 8th of September, a date that continues to be commemorated with the annual public holiday Il-Vitorja.

It also marks the end of the French occupation of Malta in 1800 and coincidentally, the armistice of the Fascist regime in Italy in 1943.

The connection with Malta in 1943 was two-fold – the bombardments by the ‘Aeronautica’ were over and the Italian Navy was brought to Malta to remain moored at St. Paul’s Bay until the end of the war.

Photos by Alain Salvary show some of the scenes from the 2018 ceremony

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