Let’s get into the history, shall we?

 The historic connections of Victory Day are threefold. Arguably the most significant is the lifting of the siege of the Ottomans, in 1565; the famed Great Siege of Malta. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s forces had surrounded the island since May of the same year, with an army of more than 50,000 men, including 6,000 Janissaries – the Sultan’s elite crack troops, as well as a host of soldiers, adventurers, volunteers and religious servants, joined by a crew of corsairs from Tripoli and Algiers. The huge force far outweighed the Knights’ tally of just 6,000, which included 3,000 Maltese recruits, soliders from Spain, Greece, Italy and Sicily and 600 Knights. In spite of their impressive numbers, Sultan Suleiman’s men only managed to capture Fort St Elmo during the four months of relentless bombardment. Meanwhile, the tiny towns of Birgu and Senglea held out against all odds. 

St Elmo, though much smaller then than we know it to be today, remained standing for more than a month, despite being an isolated fort on an uninhabited peninsula, which later became Valletta. Impending bad weather, fatigue and the news of a much-awaited Christian relief force finally coming to the aid of the besieged, finally put an end to Sultan’s dreams and the siege was finally lifted on the 8 of September, 1565. The Knights’ rule ended with a meek capitulation to Napoleon’s forces in 1798, but the Maltese population rebelled against their new masters rather quickly. The French garrison was besieged in Valletta itself, with the city blockaded from the sea by the British Navy. 

The French, who were on the brink of starvation and death, eventually capitulated in early September of 1800. Thus, the 8th of the month came to commemorate this event, too. Finally, Malta’s Second World War siege was also lifted on the 8 of September, in 1943. Following more than three years of aerial bombardment from Italy’s Regia Autonautica, as well as the Luftwaffe, the Allied invasion of Sicily forced Italy’s formal surrender on 8th September, effectively ending Malta’s prolonged suffering in the war. Not to mention that Italy’s surrender was a tad sweet for the Maltese population as several battleships belonging to the Italian Navy were made to sail to the Grand Harbour and St Paul’s Bay, to ensure that they were not used by the German forces, who were still in the process of fighting the war. 

As if the three linked historical events were not enough for the 8th of September to be celebrated, there is also, as previously mentioned, a religious aspect, too. The Nativity of Mary, or rather, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on the same day and has been celebrated on the 8th since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen as the date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated on the 8 of December.