Canada hosts many races of people, and among them are the Maltese. These people from the republic of Malta reside in Canada because of migration that took place in the mid-nineteenth century when Malta was a British colony. The Maltese still maintain their wedding traditions traditions in most of their occasions and behaviour. They refer to their customs as il-ġilwa. Among these occasions are the Maltese weddings, which take place as the do in Malta. These preserve Maltese culture in the cuisines that are offered, the dressing, the entertainment and the language.
Though these Maltese live in a Canadian community, they practice most of the Maltese culture. Most of the Maltese cuisines are prepared the Mediterranean way like the food that is prepared for weddings in Malta. The wedding procession in a Maltese wedding is led by the bride and groom followed by the rest of the bridal party consisting of the bride’s relatives and the singers behind them. The procession moves from the bride’s home to the church where the religious part of the wedding takes part. Most of the Maltese are Catholics thus the wedding takes place at the parish church. The bride and groom walk under a special ornate canopy that is carried by four men each holding one corner of the square canopy. The bride wears a wedding gown that is called a għonnella, which is the traditional wedding gown that the bride wears. Those who hold tightly to tradition practice this culture. Some of the Maltese people prefer conducting a wedding ceremony at the church without the additional spicing up of a traditional wedding gown and the canopy.
The Canadian Maltese weddings are characterized by a ceremony at the chapel, which is later followed up by an extensive wedding reception with variety of food, a motorcade of the bridal party that consists of flashy cars like limousines and beautifully designed wedding reception venues like at hotels. They have a wedding DJ who plays the Maltese music but also blends with some of the modern Canadian wedding music. The Maltese music is called Għana and it involves a lot of dancing. There has been a decrease in the application of the Maltese culture mostly by the Canadian Maltese because as much as they would like to preserve the tradition, the process comes along with high cost. Since most of the people are inclined to having an exceptional occasion without spending a lot, most of the Maltese prefer having a Canadian wedding and incorporating only what is available that matches the weddings in Malta. This is a good way of appreciating the Maltese wedding tradition and most of the older Maltese residents in Canada insist on their families applying the Maltese culture to avoid its disappearance. This includes the older Maltese suggesting Malta as a honeymoon destination for the newly weds. This ensures that the couple learns more of the Maltese culture like methods of cooking, important beliefs and religious practices in addition to touring beautiful sites that are found in Malta. Through this, Maltese wedding traditions are preserved.
For your traditional Maltese wedding ceremony, hire Babylon for all your important wedding needs! Babylon has been servicing weddings in the G T A, and around the world, for over 25 years! We can provide many services, including:
Wedding Photography
- Our skilled photographers will photograph all of the special moments from your wedding day! They will make sure your precious memories last forever, on beautiful prints of any size you wish! You will be proud to share these quality wedding photos with your loved ones.
Wedding Videography
- Our expert videographers will capture your entire day, onto film, then edit it to your liking onto a quality DVD production. At Babylon, our videographers consider your wedding video not just a video, but a movie production that will contain special memories meant to be passed down to future generations. Our expert staff can even add a soundtrack of traditional Luhya wedding music, or any romantic ballads you like, making your wedding DVD production even more enjoyable for you and your loved ones!
Limousine Service
- We have a large, luxurious selection of limousines available for your wedding transportation needs! Arrive in style in a brand new stretch limousine, or choose from our wide selection of other options. From the classic automobile to the modern sleek and shiny style of limousine, Babylon can provide any style of limousine you wish, so that you can arrive in style and comfort to your wedding!
Entertainment
- Babylon can provide wedding DJs that play your country’s wedding songs, singers that can speak your native tongue, or even live bands that will play traditional wedding music from your country! For any traditional performance you may want at you wedding, simply ask us and we will do our best to provide.
Wedding Invitations
- We can work with you to design your wedding invitations, print them up and even send them to your guests!
Also, we can help you choose the right venue for your wedding reception, the bridal boutique closest to you for your wedding dress, and even help you plan the catering!
We are also able to provide an all-female staff for the bride’s pictures, if she wishes to have pictures with her covering on or off, our female staff will take special care in photographing and editing the pictures for her. Trust the best in the wedding and wedding photography business. Trust Babylon.