Gozitan migrant and return migration’s impact on the Gozitan festa

Abstract

The Gozitan festa, a mainly annual religious socio-cultural event, organized in every Gozitan village and in the town of Rabat, have gradually evolved over the past two centuries into a massive spectacle, considering the size of these tiny localities. The Gozitan village festa is by far the most awaited and grand event in the annual calendar of any locality. The flow of foreign currency, material goods of all sorts and the ingenious combination of foreign influences and local traditions have moulded the Gozitan festa into a unique event towards which migrants and return migrants contribute considerably. The festa is also Gozo’s largest cultural export to Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA).