Known locally as Il-Lunzjata, Tarxien’s Feast of the Annunciation honours the Gospel story when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary with news she would bear the son of God. The main feast celebrations take place on a Sunday in late May or early June. The day begins with a solemn morning mass before the tone shifts into full festa mode, as the town’s Tarxieniżi pack out the streets surrounding the church during the band march to celebrate in full force. The evening procession sees the statue of the Annunciation carried shoulder-high through the town, accompanied by fireworks and all the sound and colour you’d expect from a Maltese festa.