This feast day and holy day of obligation in Malta is a public holiday celebrated each year on February 10 to honor the patron saint of Malta, St. Paul the Apostle. As recorded in Acts 28 of the New Testament, St Paul was on his way to Rome from Jerusalem when a storm blew his vessel onto Malta’s shores. This occurred in approximately 60 AD and according to tradition, St Paul subsequently established the first Christian community on the Island.

Religious ceremonies and street festivities are held in and around St Paul’s Shipwreck Parish in Valletta during this holiday.