On the 13th December 1974 the Maltese Constitution was amended and Malta became a Republic, having Sir Anthony Mamo as its first President. Activities marking this historic date take place every year, mostly in Valletta.
On this day, a big feast is held and Malta’s National Anthem is played and/or sung at the end of all masses. In addition, the President of Malta presents national awards. These awards inspire a sense of patriotism, as they are awarded as a token of appreciation for those who honour their country through their achievements and service to their community.
After Malta become independent in 1964 both English and Maltese were given official status and Maltese became the national language of Malta. Today Maltese is used in most sectors of public life, including parliament, the church, the press and other media, and in general conversation. English is generally the preferred medium of instruction in schools, especially at the higher levels of the educational system.
In 1800 Malta became a British colony and the British tried to replace Italian with English as the local language. As a result, about half of the vocabulary of Maltese comes from Sicilian and Italian, and a fifth comes from English. Maltese also contains quite a bit of vocabulary from Norman and French.