L-Imnarja (Mnarja)

L-Imnarja falls on 29 June, the feast of St Peter and St Paul and a public holiday in Malta. Visit Malta calls it one of the oldest feasts celebrated in Malta and Gozo. The name is usually traced to the Latin luminare, to light up, after the bonfires and torches once lit for the occasion. The celebrations begin on the evening of 28 June.

The heart of the feast is Buskett Gardens, a wooded valley below Rabat. On the eve, families gather under the trees in the evening, many of them eating fenkata, the rabbit feast (see stuffat tal-fenek), while folk singers trade improvised verses of ghana. Agricultural shows of produce, rabbits and livestock and a parade of traditional carts and carriages are part of the programme, which the government publishes each year.

The races at Mdina

On the afternoon of 29 June, horse and donkey races run on a country lane just below Mdina, and the winners receive the palju, a traditional banner. Religious services take place at St Paul's Cathedral in Mdina. On Gozo, Nadur celebrates the same saints with a village festa.

• Malta Public Transport has run special shuttles to Buskett for the feast, with park and ride from Rabat and Ta' Qali; check its announcements in June.
• Check the programme for any ticketed activities; food and drink are paid.
• Late June is hot, so bring water and sun protection for the daytime events.

Add a walk to Dingli Cliffs, a short drive from Buskett, and read our Mdina and Rabat guide.