The Mnarja celebrations, religiously known as the feast of saints Peter and Paul, will be launched on Saturday with the publication of banns in Valletta, Mdina and Rabat announcing the festivities.
The celebrations of this traditional feast, on June 29, are being organised by the National Folklore Commission together with the Agrarian Society and the Klabb Avvenimenti u Armar taz-Zwiemel.
The animated publication of the banns dates back to the days of the Knights of the Order of St John. The event in Valletta, in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority, will start at Freedom Square at 10 a.m., while that for Mdina and Rabat will start at 7 p.m. near the Mdina local council offices, passing through the city's main streets and going on to Rabat.
One of the highlights on June 29 will be the traditional bare back horse and mule racing at 4.30 p.m. at Saqqajja, Rabat. There will be 25 races in all.
The Mnarja celebrations will come to an end with a concert by the L'Isle Adam band at Saqqajja starting at 7.30 p.m.