St John the Baptist

The village of Xewkija celebrates the feast of it's patron, Saint John the Baptist with great pomposity and fervour. The feast of Saint John the Baptist falls on the 24th of June, and the festa is celebrated on the closest Sunday. During the whole week religious celebrations take place in the Rotonda, culminating in the Triduum, Translation of the Relic in the eve of the feast and the feast day with the singing of the Antiphon 'Ingresso Zaccharia'. In the evenings, marches take place in different areas of the village each with their own characteristics, joined by the fireworks and the Prekursur band. The feast reaches it's climax when the titular statue of Saint John sculpted by Pietro Paolo Azzopardi in 1845, appears in the main door of the Rotunda with the singing of the 'Inno Grandioso per La Natività di San Giovanni Battista' followed by a procession around the streets of the village.