There are various types of ballet dancing but the most popular one which is generally taught in Malta is the classical format. Here dancers perform to a set piece of music which is normally a classical piece.

However more modern styles have been introduced in the past years. Some schools also offer contemporary ballet where the movements are much more complex and strenuous with dancers having to be of a certain age to perform this demanding style.

Ballet dancing was introduced in Malta in the earlier twentieth century when a number of Russian émigrés who fled from the Russian revolution in 1917 found refuge on the island. For many years, a school was run under the patrimony of Princess Nathalie Poutiatine which school still bears her illustrious name. Thus ballet teaching in Malta has concentrated chiefly around the Russian style and the schools generally offer this type of instruction.

There are several schools in Malta which are situated in the Sliema-St Julian’s metropolitan area. Sliema boasts two of the most renowned, the aforementioned Princess Poutiatine and the Nathalie Bayona school in Old College Street. Mary Jane Bellia has her school in Gzira close to the Msida border in Nazju Ellul Street while the Pellegrini Petit sisters operate a huge school in San Gwann, close to Mater Dei Hospital. Fees are generally on the high side as ballet dancing is very much viewed as an exclusive pastime normally reserved for the upper middle classes although competition has also brought about a correction in costs.

Over recent years, the divorce debate has raged in Malta and this month (July 2010), Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando presented a private member’s bill to Parliament in a bid to introduce divorce to Malta.

Although currently, it’s not possible to obtain a divorce through the Maltese courts, divorces granted to Maltese and foreign citizens by overseas jurisdictions are recognised by Maltese law, and such people are free to re-marry. Such divorces should be registered with the public registry. Between 2007 and 2009 the Public Registry registered 102 cases of divorce awarded abroad. Even civil marriages cannot be dissolved by Maltese courts, contrary to the belief of some.

As an alternative to divorce, Malta has two options; legal separation and annulment. Either the church or the state can carry out such legal acts. With legal separation, the parties cannot remarry, but that’s not the case with annulment. Annulment means that the marriage never existed, although couples with children can obtain an annulment! In the past five years, there has been a total of 690 annulments by church and state in Malta.

With a legal separation, the couple must go through a mediation process which is offered free by the state. Once a couple is legally separated, then the parties do not have to cohabit, but the obligation of fidelity and support subsists. The at fault party may have to pay maintenance to the other. Between 2006 and 2008, around 3,500 sworn separation applications were submitted or mediations introduced, and a backlog of over 1,000 separation cases pending.

It will be seen in coming months what will happen with regard to divorce in Malta, but the issue has caused heated debate in social circles, and probably will in parliament too.

There are two regular ferry services in operation, one from Valletta to Sliema and the other between Gozo and Malta, berthing at Cirkewwa and a limited service to Sa Maison, near Valletta on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

There are several private taxi firms on the island, but private taxis have to be booked, they cannot pick up passengers hailing a ride at the side of the road. You should always get a quote for the fare at the time of booking. Public taxis are white and run on meters. These don’t have to be booked in advance, and there are plenty of these waiting at the airport, near the bus station in Valletta and at larger hotels. These white taxis can, however, be comparatively expensive. Some taxi drivers in Malta have a reputation for their risky, high speed driving and some passengers have reported a “white knuckle ride” to their destination.

The most popular form of public transport in Malta is the bus service. From the main bus terminus by the Tritons Fountain in Valletta, you can catch a bus to every locality in Malta. There are two smaller bus terminals in Qawra/Bugibba and in Paceville. Buses are painted red and yellow (in Gozo, they are maroon and grey), and each route carries a different number. Fares are cheap, usually 47cents for a short trip, but the vehicles don’t have air-conditioning and the drivers can come across as surly and rude. There are also limited night bus services which tend to run on weekends in the summer months to and from the Paceville terminus.

For further details about the Malta public transport, bus routes, fares and timings, contact Transport Malta on:

Tel: +356 25608000
Fax: +356 21255740
Email: info.tm@transport.gov.mt

Brightly decorated cribs (Maltese presepju) glowing with fairy lights appear in the windows of almost every house, and some houses are decorated with climbing Santas, neon stars and even sleighs and reindee. Such scenes provide tourists with plenty photo opportunities, in fact holidaymakers often return to Malta time and time again at Christmas.

The festive season is when families get together and make merry, whilst not forgetting the true spirit of Christmas as a time for giving and sharing. The sense of family tradition is very important to the Maltese, and some relatives even fly over from abroad to spend Christmas with loved-ones.

On Christmas Eve, it’s popular to visit local churches which are brightly decorated to commemorate the birth of Jesus, and later, Midnight Mass is observed in every parish. On Christmas Day, presents are exchanged under the Christmas tree and the visit of Father Christmas (or The Christmas Father, as he is sometimes known in Malta) is eagerly anticipated by children.

Food is an important part of the Christmas tradition and the streets of Malta fall silent in the afternoon on Christmas Day, as families get together for Christmas dinner. Usually, this is a hearty meal of meat, sometimes turkey with all the trimmings, washed down with a good wine. At this time of year honey rings are eaten – Qag?aq ta’ l-G?asel, a traditional Maltese sweet treat.

The weather in late December can be very changeable; some days being wet, blustery and overcast, others being warm and sunny. On days off work, a lot of people take advantage of the Maltese Mediterranean climate and go for walks and even have picnics and cookouts on fine days over the holiday period. Some companies in Malta have shut-down over the Christmas period, and schools have a two week break, so families really take advantage of their time together.

For foreign Catholic couples, a church wedding is possible, but be prepared to be expected to obtain documents showing such proof etc from your church in your home country. Most foreign couples getting married in Malta opt for a civil ceremony, and these can take place in many historical venues, hotels and restaurants. Both types of marriages are legally binding in most countries such as the UK, USA, Ireland, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

The requirements for a civil wedding are similar to those in your home country, and documents must be forwarded to the marriage registry within 6 weeks of the ceremony. This is a basic list of legal documents that you will need to get married in Malta:

• Photocopy of the main photo page of both the bride and groom’s passports; full, unabridged birth certificates showing the names of the parents of both spouses to be and these need to be authenticated by an attorney/solicitor.
• For a first marriage, you will need a “Free Status” certificate. In most countries outside the UK and Ireland, this is in the form of a document showing that you are legally single and free to marry. This is usually obtained from the Interior Ministry or Department of Home Affairs in the country where you are domiciled. In Scotland and The Republic of Ireland the document is known as a ‘Certificate of no Impediment’, whereas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a Statutory Declaration is drawn up by a third party in the presence of a solicitor.
• Divorcees will also need the Divorce Absolute/Final Divorce Certificate as well as an Affidavit by a third party drawn up in the presence of a solicitor, stating that the divorcee has not re-married since the divorce was made final.
• Widows/Widowers will need the wedding certificate of their original marriage to the deceased, the death certificate of the former spouse and an affidavit stating that the Widow/Widower has not remarried since.

For more information about getting married in Malta, contact the Malta Marriage Registry on 22209200.

Whilst most areas of Malta are relatively safe, and violent crimes are few and far between being mostly perpetrated by assailants known to victims, there are crime hotspots that have been identified.

Around the tourist areas of St Julians, St Pauls Bay and Sliema, petty theft is reported most often, involving incidents such as pickpocketing and theft of personal possessions. The capital, Valletta, also reports a higher incidence of this type of offence that other areas of Malta. The areas with the lowest rates of crime in Malta are Ta’ Xbiex and Pembroke, with the island of Gozo having a lower reported level of crime in general. Opportunistic crimes such as car break-ins occur more frequently in the summer months in the main tourist areas. Criminals, however, don’t appear on the whole to reside in the areas where the crimes are committed. The most common place of residence of offenders in order is Bormla, Valletta, Qormi and Gzira.

The most common types of crime reported involve theft; the next most-reported crime is damage to property and then assault. Malta has some of the lowest rates for more serious crimes such as rapes, homicides, drugs, fraud and bribery. In February 2010, The Ministry for Home affairs reported that crime in Malta had dropped 34 per cent between 2009 and 2005, with the theft rate dropping by 12% in 2009.

If you are a victim of crime, call the police on 112. 112 is also the emergency number for the ambulance service and civil protection, who handle fire-fighting duties.

Holy Week commences on the Friday immediately before Good Friday, with the day dedicated to id-Duluri – Our Lady of Sorrows.

People attend Mass and processions are held in Valletta and in other towns and villages, carrying the statue of Our Lady through the streets. On Palm Sunday, fronds of palm leaves are shaped into crosses and are blessed in church. On Thursday, the day before Good Friday, in Malta it’s tradition to visit seven churches; all churches are beautifully decorated for the occasion and tourists and Maltese alike flock to see the display.

Good Friday is a day of sorrow, with churches taking down the decorations and displaying the colour red to signify the blood of Christ. There is no Mass on Good Friday; instead people go to church to kiss the cross at 3pm – the time that Christ allegedly died. Later, a procession occurs in some villages – this is a lengthy affair with hundreds taking part. This lasts for over two hours and statues are carried depicting the Stations of the Cross, with actors playing the parts of Roman soldiers, disciples and other characters. As a penance, some people wear white cloaks and hoods and drag large wooden crosses along the route; others have heavy chains fastened to their ankles and walk barefoot behind the rest of the procession.

The next day, churches are open all day, and are decorated with fresh flowers and adornments, and later on, a Mass is heard whereby each member of the congregation is given a candle and lighting this signifies Christ’s resurrection. The priest lights his candle first and then the light is passed from candle to candle until the whole church lights up. During this Mass, the church bells start ringing after being silent since Thursday. After the service, Figolli are given out – these are pastries made with pure almond paste and formed into shapes of lambs, fish or rabbits. Easter comes to a close on Easter Sunday after mass, which is a family day when families meet for lunch and give out gifts.

Last year’s Malta Song for Europe was performed by Chiara singing “What If We?” a song written and composed by Gregory Bilsen and Marc Paelinck. Although the whole Maltese nation was rooting for her after she went through to the final from the semi, disappointingly, she only achieved 22nd placing at the end of the night. This was Chiara’s third outing to Eurovision; with her two previous attempts she fared much better placing third in 1998, and second in 2005.

On 20th February 2010, 20 artists competed in the “Go Malta Eurosong” competition, battling it out to represent Malta at the Eurovision 2010 Song Contest in Oslo. Each performer sang live at MFCC Ta’Qali, and the event was televised live on TVM and presented by Keith Demicoli and Pauline Agius. The winner was 18-year old Thea Garrett singing “My Dream”, a composition by Jason Cassar and Sunny Aquilina. The winning song romped home to victory with 102 points, well ahead of Glen Vella’s second-placed number “Just a Little More Love”, which ended the night with 58 points.

Born in Malta in 1992, Thea Garrett has been studying with renowned soprano Gillian Zammit. For the past two summers, she studied at The Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, the alma mater of many British singers, such as Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis and Emma Bunton from Spice Girls fame. Most recently, Thea was the opening act, in Rome, for Gigi D’Alessio’s world tour.

Thea will be taking part in the first Eurovision semi-final in Oslo on May 25th, along with entries from Greece, Russia, Portugal and Estonia.

Malta Porn was Indiskarf’s first production, and it debuted in March 2009 at the Centre of the Mediterranean Institute Theatre Programme (MITP) in Valletta.

The story is centred on a young man called Stefan Bugeja who has grown up on the outwardly conservative island of Malta.

Stefan has a fiancée and when she reveals herself as a loose and somewhat immoral woman, Stefan feels his life has been destroyed and decides to emigrate to the USA, in search of a happier life. Little does he know what he’s about to let himself in for!

Once in America, Stefan gets involved with some friends who are embroiled in the adult-entertainment business, and gets absorbed in the industry himself. Songs in the musical include “Naked on a Sunday”, “Everyone in Malta is Related”, “ So Young and yet so Slutty “, “The Kind of Girl I am” and “The Song where Everyone Bitches”!

During 2009, after the performance in Valletta, Porn the Musical was staged at Argotti Gardens in July for a week’s run. In August 2009, a 75 minute version of the musical was performed for a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at the George IVth Theatre. This is the first time that a Maltese musical has been shown for a full month at this world-renowned event. Choreographed by Emma Loftus and narrated by screenwriter Malcolm Galea, the cast at the festival included Max Dingli as the lead character, Louis Cassar as sleazy Director Martin Scoresleazy, Sarah Naudi as porn star Sanddy, David Ellul as the studio stud Dr Johnny Long, Eliza Borg as Stefan’s ex-finacee Jade and Toni Attard as the Miscellaneous Man.

Malta Porn The Musical is a laugh a minute and definitely works around an adult theme – however, there is no actual porn in the show, apart from it being the subject of the entire plot!

Two Maltese colleges founded rugby teams during the 1970s; these colleges being St. Edwards College and Tal-Handaq College.

The schoolboy teams played against each other, and even challenged the veterans of the armed forces to matches! On a senior level, the game of rugby was played mainly by a few Maltese and several expatriates living on the island. In 1979, when the British services departed Malta for good, the game lost its popularity and almost died a death on the island. However, all was not lost as a group of Maltese rugby fans and players formed The Phoenicians, a local social rugby club in 1983. From that day on, the sport in Malta has regained a strong band of followers and has surged in popularity once more.

The Malta Rugby Football League was established in 1991, and in that year it saw a surge in membership caused by the formation of the University Rugby Football Club. This club was an amalgamation of University students and ex-public schoolboys from the UK. At the same time, there was a renaissance afoot in Maltese rugby with the rebirth of Overseas Rugby Club. In the 1990s, other clubs began to mushroom with two of today’s strong leading teams, Kavallieri and Stompers being formed during that decade.

In 2000, the Malta Rugby Football Union (MRFU), as the League is now called, joined the International Rugby Board and Malta has participated in a number of internationals since then. Most recently, Malta faced Sweden in November 2009, with Malta triumphantly winning 25-23. In addition to the senior-level National and Club teams, there are also teams for U17s, U15s and U13s as well as a strong women’s league.

For further details about playing, watching rugby in Malta or if you simply want to buy the team shirt, use the contact details below:

MRFU Clubhouse, Marsa Sports Complex, Aldo Moro Street, Marsa, Malta GC, Europe
or email the current President of the MRFU: president@mrfu.org