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Msida ... in full splendour!
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I consider Msida my home town, and myself a Misidjan.  Although I live in a neighbouring town, my life has centred around Msida.  It's where I lived the first years of my life, went to school as a child, where I spent my two years of Sixth Form and where I still study - the University of Malta being located on the outskirts of the town.

This Photo Gallery has a number of photos from my home town on the occasion of the Feast of St Joseph, normally celebrated on the third Sunday of July - this year on the 21st of the month. 

The Church dedicated to St Joseph
Celebrations here are a far cry from what I witnessed at Nadur, Gozo (check out the Mnarja Gallery) but this picturesque seaside town has its own beauty - besides a very unusual sporting event - the Gostra.  The Church at Msida was built in the late nineteenth century and is dedicated toi St Joseph.
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The chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception
Msida, in bygone days, was a small fishing village.  The chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception served the needs of the fishing population up until the nineteenth century.
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In 1948, following the war, the land in front of the church was reclaimed - it was far easier to "dump" the rubble into the creek than clear the severely bombarded area.  The village continued to grow, with houses sprouting at the foot of the Msida Valley.  The area is badly affected by flooding on wintry days.

The village started to flourish in the nineteenth century, becoming a parish in its own right at the end of the nineteenth century.  The creek extended beyond the Church and ended just in front of the Ghajn tal-Hasselien (see below).   During World War II, Msida was severely bombed because of its Torpedo Depot.
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L-Ghajn tal-Hasselien
This quaint building is known as l-Ghajn tal-Hasselin.  It was constructed in 1750 and funded by the Bailiff Philip Wolfgang de Gutenberg.  The Ghajn provided a source of water for the villagers, and would be used by housewives to wash clothes and vegetables.
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The Workers' Memorial
The work of the well-known local sculptor Anton Agius, the Workers' Memorial commemorates the anniversary of Malta's largest Union - the General Workers' Union.  The characters on the statue are wearing boots - quite rightly as the area is known to flood on an odd rainy day!
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Procession with the statue
This year's festa was broadcast on a local TV station.  The procession has the longest route on the island.  Msida is a fairly big town, the University of Malta is situated on its outskirts.
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The statue of Guzeppi
The statue of St Joseph with Child is paraded around the town once annually - accompanied to the music of the band and the chanting of the Misidjani "Viva Guzeppi!"
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