‘Victory in Europe Day,’ also known as V.E. day, celebrates the unconditional surrender of Germany on the 8th of May 1945, leading to the end of the Second World War and this year marks the 75th anniversary.

This day marks a historically important event for Malta as it served a strategic role for Allied Forces during the war, specifically between 1940 and 1942.

Various activities are taking place Gozo and Malta, including televised productions, the National Celebrations Foundation and Festivals Malta have collaborated with the Archdiocese of Malta to unite all the church bells across the islands, tomorrow, Friday, the 8th of May, at midday.

On the same day, 26 fireworks factories across Malta will participate in a fireworks session lasting between 11:30am and midday.

The National Celebrations Foundation (FCN), in collaboration with Festivals Malta and the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, is organising several activities commemorating the 75th anniversary from the end of World War II.

Given the impact of Covid-19 and the directive issued on organised events, activities and ceremonies associated with this historical day had to be cancelled.

Among these televised productions, there is a documentary, a music-literary production and a musical concert. The first production, named ’75 Sena Minn Tmiem il-Gwerra,’ includes a series on seven Maltese documentaries penned by Mario Xuereb, featuring themes that address key historical points, as well as Malta’s role during the war.

These documentaries will air at 8.50pm every day on TVM, with the last instalment being on Sunday, the 10th of May. There are also plans for these documentaries to be accessible online.

The second production will take a music-literary form with humoristic elements. ‘Minestra u Ghagin, Fazola u Sardin,’ is a performance in collaboration with Folla Nies that reimagines the Second World War as it is parallelled with present day Malta.

This production will air on TVM on Saturday, the 9th of May at 8:55pm, with a repeat on Sunday, the 10th of May at 2:45pm on TVM2, featuring Ray Calleja, Daniel Cauchi and the Big Band Brothers.

Following this is the third production, titled ‘WW2 Impressions,’ a Jazz Suite by Dominic Galea. Based on the musical ‘Il-Gwerra’ by Spiru Cefai, this concert includes music from Maestro Dominic Galea and lyrics by Raymond Mahoney.

For more information on these activities, please see the website by clicking here or the FCN Facebook Page.

Photograph: FCN – VE Day 75th anniversary celebrations

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