Good Friday processions cancelled over bad weather

Several parishes have had to cancel their Good Friday processions due to strong winds over Malta and Gozo.

Żejtun's Good Friday festivities committee announced at 2:30pm that the local procession will not take place due to bad weather, as the organisers could not guarantee people's safety.

Organisers of the Żebbuġ procession similarly announced that they will be cancelling the procession this year. "We did our best," one of the organisers said regretfully.

The Naxxar parish and its Good Friday organisational committee announced their decision at around noon, hours before the procession was set to begin. 

The committee said it discussed all possible alternatives before ultimately deciding to cancel the procession due to bad weather. 

While the organisers of the Rabat procession said they would change the route to avoid weather complications, they also cancelled the plans altogether.

Similarly, no processions will take place in Isla, Rabat (Gozo) and Żebbuġ (Gozo). The procession in Bormla is expected to take place through a different route.

Good Friday processions are a staple tradition in Maltese culture, marking the end of the 40-day lenten period leading up to Easter Sunday. 

The traditional processions had to be cancelled in recent years due to COVID-19 restrictions, but were set to return back to normal this year after health authorities lifted most restrictions. 

However, bad weather threatens many of the processions today. The Malta International Airport weather station issued a yellow warning with East-Northeasterly winds that could reach force 7 on the Beaufort Scale.