Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck: History and Importance of the day

Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a public holiday celebrated on February 10th to honor the patron saint of Malta St. Paul the Apostle. In Malta, it is called ‘San Pawl Nawfragu’. The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a holiday special to Malta since it was on Malta that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked around the year A.D. 60.

The feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Malta is one of the significant public holidays and a religious feast on the island. The feast is to observe St Paul who is said to have been shipwrecked on Malta in 60AD. This event is celebrated each year on February 10.

The Feast of St-Paul’s Shipwreck remembers the appearance of Christianity to the island of Malta. St Paul was a prisoner of the Roman Empire when he was being shipped by boat to Rome.

An incredible tempest harmed the ship and abandoned the travelers in Malta where St Paul performed wonders, for example, being bitten by a poisonous snake and encountering no evil impacts and healing an islander.

As Paul is the patron saint of Malta, it is an eagerly awaited event. Out of many “saint days” on the church calendar in Malta, the Feast of Saint Paul is one of only a handful that has the status of a national holiday.

Saint Paul was an apostle who trained the gospel message of Jesus Christ and spread Christianity in the first century AD. He was not one of the Twelve Apostles. Fourteen books in the New Testament have traditionally been credited to him.

As indicated by legend, Saint Paul shipwrecked on the island of Malta on his way back from Jerusalem to Rome. Publius, the first Bishop of Malta, sincerely got Paul and his fellow explorers.

During his visit to Malta, Paul recuperated Publius’ debilitated dad and the rest of the sick on the island. The islanders paid Saint Paul significant honor and presented to him the provisions when he eventually set sail.

The account of Paul’s shipwreck and three-month, wintertime stay on Malta is found in the Bible’s Acts 27:27 through 28:11. He was being taken to Rome as a prisoner to eventually stand preliminary before Caesar. God let him know ahead of time he would be shipwrecked however would save the lives of all on board, which guarantee was subsequently kept and in solution to Paul’s petitions for their lives.

The Bible says the tempest was in the Adriatic Sea, however, Malta borders the Ionian Sea, because, in old times, the Adriatic’s boundaries were considered to expand a lot farther south.

The ship broke up on the rocks close to the shores of Malta, and all swam aground. The nearby populace welcomed them, however figured he may be a killer whom the “goddess of justice” had at last found after he was bitten by a noxious snake. After he lived, notwithstanding, they guessed him to be, maybe, a god.

Paul, nonetheless, soon demonstrated to them it was God’s power at work in a simple man by recuperating the governor of the island, Publius, and numerous other people who were sick or disabled among the island’s populace. Most likely, Paul preached the Gospel to them also, and when he left Malta, the occupants gave him all fundamental supplies out of appreciation.

While under guard as a Roman detainee, Paul remained on Malta for a quarter of a year, leaving for Rome on a ship that had shielded in Malta over the winter.

Paul is the patron saint of Malta…. what’s more, snakebite victims.

The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is kept at the “Parish Church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked” in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. It is likewise a day of parades and family parties.

How to celebrate the Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck

The Maltese public believes that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked close to the shore of the island and superbly praise this event. In the city of Valletta, the capital of a small country, they organize an enormous vivid parade. The strongest men of the city carry on their shoulders an immense statue of the incredible evangelist.

The procession is joined by thunderous adulation by the crowd, the music of brass bands, and crowds of costumed individuals. Pious old women sprinkle the parade with confetti from the balconies en route. The holiday closes with a Solemn Mass in the name of the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck.

Traditionally, you can watch fireworks over Grand Harbor. Local people believe that the Apostle, after the catastrophe, managed to survive and live in Malta for a few months and changed numerous over to Christianity and recuperated large numbers of the damned.

Nonetheless, a few scientists disprove this rendition, guaranteeing that the shipwreck really occurred in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia. Nevertheless, St. Paul is the patron saint of the Maltese and is passionately supported by them.

Saint Paul’s shipwreck is viewed as one of the greatest events in the history of Malta. Its feast day was even announced as one of the country’s public holidays. The main celebration is held at the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta, the capital city of Malta.

On February 10, the wooden statue of Paul the Apostle is paraded through the city roads paying little heed to the climate. The statue goes back to the 17th century.

The St. Paul’s Shipwreck pilgrimage has been postponed from February 2021 to September 2021 after direction from health officials vis-à-vis the Covid-19 pandemic.

The traditional pilgrimage with the statue of St. Paul will be postponed to Sunday 5 September 2021.