Two weekends ago, Allison and I headed to the nearby village of Vittoriosa. Vittoriosa, or 'Birgu' in traditional Maltese, was long a political center of Malta. When the Knights of St. John fought off the Ottomans it was from this fortified city. They then went on to build current capital city of Victoria (commemorating their victory), which lies on a penninsula between our town of Sliema (pronounced "Sleema") and Vittoriosa. See here for a map
Like many of the towns in Malta this little town holds a 'fest' every year, and this year in particular they had a grand ambition that was too tempting to pass up: They attempted entry into the Guiness Book of World Records by turning off all outside lights and instead using candles to illuminate the way.
Despite rain lasting late into the afternoon, the fest was well underway when we arrived in the evening. There were throngs of people, vendors selling snacks and drinks, music playing, and of course candles burning throughout the narrow streets and alleys. Many homes had their front doors open with candles illuminating their foyers and hallways. It was quite the sight wandering around a 16th century neighborhood lit only by fire, much as they were in their original days.
Happily, the town succeed in their mission with Guiness declaring there were "'significantly more' candles than the 10,000 needed to establish the record."
It's beyond my skill to really convey the beauty of the scene in words so I won't try any further, but I did snap a few pictures. As they are quite dark, I highly recommend clicking on the photos to see them in more detail.
Also, you can watch a short video of the night by clicking here (courtesy of The Times of Malta).
Thanks for reading,
Sean and Allison
OOOOOOO
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