On Friday we visited the prehistoric archeological sites near Valletta.  The archeological site, the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, was different from anything we had ever seen before.  This World Heritage monument was an incredible underground necropolis consisting of halls, chambers, and passages carved out of limestone.  It�s thought that an estimated 7000 bodies were interred here.  Most impressive, though, was the central chamber with its domed ceiling and smooth curved lines, so pleasing to the eye.  It was a beautiful piece of architecture and predated the pyramids of Egypt by more than 500 years.  A few blocks away from the Hypogeum were the Tarxien Temples.  These megalithic temples, along with the other ones found in Malta, were considered the oldest freestanding stone structures in the world.
The Maltese people are Roman Catholic, and during the summer each village commemorates the feast day (usually a Sunday) of its patron saint with a festa.  Each festa usually lasts five to seven days with the entire village decorated with festive banners, flags, and lights.  The church itself is decorated with colorful lights, and its treasures, relics, and patron saint are proudly displayed.  Saturday, the eve of the feast celebration, the main attraction is the fireworks.  At 10 pm the aerial fireworks occur, and at 11 pm the ground fireworks occur, the pride of the festa.  Sunday evening, after evening Mass, the life-size statue of the patron saint is paraded through the streets accompanied by the band, fireworks, and church bells.  Originally these village feast days in Malta were simple, but now each village in Malta tries to outdo each other with decorations and fireworks, and so to attend one of these festas is quite an experience.
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