Imnarja (Picnics & Races, Nadur, Gozo)L-Imnarja — Festa ta’ San Pietru u San Pawl f’Nadur, Għawdex

L-Imnarja is celebrated annually on June 29th as both a religious feast of the martyrs St. Peter and St. Paul and a harvest festival marking the arrival of summer 1. In Nadur, the emphasis is more religious, with the parish church dedicated to St. Paul holding special services. The day includes a tradition of communal picnics in fields (originally in honor of St. Paul’s shipwreck on Malta), agricultural exhibitions, horse and donkey races, and copious local wine and food stalls 1. It is one of Malta and Gozo’s oldest festivities, featuring folk music, dancing, and children’s activities celebrating the end of the academic year and summer’s bounty.

Originally a pagan 'luminaria' festival converted to Christian observance, Imnarja blends religious commemoration with rural customs. Nadur was historically one of the few places celebrating Imnarja (as St. Paul is the national patron saint). The festival highlights local pastoral life and community spirit: people share bread and wine in the fields, echoing a Gozitan tradition of hospitality. The emphasis on livestock races and food showcases Gozo’s agricultural heritage 1.