Feast of St Lucy
St Lucy is a virgin and martyr of Syracuse in Sicily. She was born to rich and noble parents in 283. Like so many of the early martyrs, she consecrated her virginity to God, and she hoped to devote all her worldly goods to the service of the poor.
Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage for her, but for 3 years she managed to postpone the marriage. Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha to change her mother’s mind about her faith. This caused her mother’s long haemorrhagic illness to be cured, and she consented to Lucy’s desire to live for God. Saint Lucy’s rejected bridegroom, so Paschasius denounced Lucy as a Christian. The governor planned to force her into prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her to be killed instead. After a gruesome torture which included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire, but the fire quickly died out. She prophesied against her persecutors, but was then executed by being stabbed to death with a dagger.
Malta Republic Day
This is a public holiday in Malta that celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the Republic of Malta in 1974, when the constitution was revised, resulting in the transformation of Malta from a state to a republic. It is celebrated with a military parade, an award ceremony, a wreath laying ceremony and fireworks.
Holidays & Special Events 