The Qala International Folk Festival, fourth edition came to a successful end. The festival was organised by the Qala Local Council of Qala, to promote the local culture, traditions, and folklore. In a speech during the closing evening, Chris Said, Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Local Councils, praised the commitment of the Qala Local Council, for making it a yearly cultural event.

The Qala International Folk Festival was organised by the Qala Local Council together with the Qala Menhir Folk Group. In this years edition, which lasted four days, two folk groups were invited from Slovakia and Greece. The Menhir Folk Group and other local groups also participated in the festival. A conference on local folklore took place during the festival weekend as well as an exhibition on crafts produced in Qala and on Sunday a re-enactment took place of a traditional Maltese wedding.

During the closing ceremony, the Mayor of Qala, Mr Paul Buttigieg, said that the objectives of the festival, was for young people to to discover how their grandparents had lived, as well as to understand the history of the food and costumes of an earlier period. The Mayor also thanked the 150 people who had volunteered to assist with the festival. Mayor Buttigieg thanked the Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono, for the support and assistance offered, the Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said for financial assistance for Local Councils to hold cultural activities, as well as Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco for his particiation in the local folklore conference.

At the end of the ceremony, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said and Mayor Paul Buttigieg distributed souvenirs and certificates to all the participants and sponsors that contributed to the success of the festival.

Photo: Traditional Maltese Wedding – Lorne Cremona/Qala Local Council