Birkirkara

On the Sunday morning of the feast of St Helen, crowds gather in the streets of Birkirkara’s old core for the procession with the titular statue. Notably, this is the only major feast in Malta where the main procession takes place in the morning, with the statue leaving the basilica at 8.00 a.m. The golden light of early morning adds to the spectacle, casting a bright shimmer on the gilded statue as it moves through the streets. The highlight comes when the statue is suddenly hoisted into a run, with the bearers charging in a dash through the main piazza with St Helen on their shoulders before returning to the church.