The feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta will be celebrated at the end of next month, as for the first time in nearly 80 years, February 10 will mark the start of Lent, also known as Ash Wednesday.

According to Canon Law, no religious celebrations can be held on this day, marking the start of a 40-day penitential period leading to Easter which this year will be celebrated on March 27.

Consequently, the liturgical feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck, together with the external festivities held in the capital, will have to be brought forward to Sunday, January 31. Nevertheless, February 10 will still be a public holiday.

The last time Ash Wednesday fell on this date was in 1937, but Easter came a day earlier as, unlike 2016, this was not a leap year.

The next time that the start of Lent will coincide with the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck will be in 2027, and then at the turn of the next century in 2100.

While such an occurrence is rare, it is quite common for this feast to make way for Carnival celebrations, which take place in the five-day period preceding Ash Wednesday. As a matter of fact, only two years ago the feast was moved forward to February 29 so as not to clash with this event.