Birkirkara

Birkirkara or B'Kara (Italian: Birchircara) is a ceety o 25,775 inhabitants (as o November 2010) in central Maltae. It is the lairgest an maist populous ceety on the island an consists o fower autonomous parishes: St Helen, St Joseph, Oor Lady o the Carmel an St Mary. It an aa hooses ane o the maist famous colleges in Maltae, St Aloysius' College. Birkirkara is the hame toun o Ex-Preses Edward Fenech Adami an umwhile Opposition Leader Alfred Sant an an' a' the first preses o Maltae Anthony Mamo.

The ceety's motto is "In hoc signo vinces", an its coat o airms is a plain red cross, surmuntit bi a croun.

There are mony places o interest in Birkirkara, amangst them the Auld Railway Station which is today locatit athin a public garden.

Trains wur uised as means o transportation athort the island till the Railway's closure in 1931. Ither toun features include the aqueducts built bi Grandmaster Wignacourt in the 17t Century an St Helen's basilica, ane o the maist bonnie kirks on the Maltese islands, hoosin Maltae's lairgest bell. Birkirkara is ane o Maltae's auldest touns an received mention in the 1436 Ecclesiastical Report establishin parishes in Maltae an Gozo, frae which Birkirkara emerged as the lairgest parish. Various parishes an suburbs developed oot o Birkirkara ower the years, includin Sliema, St. Julian's, Msida, Hamrun in the 19t century an Santa Venera in the early 20t century. In mair recent years, San Gwann (1965) an the hamlet of Ta' l-Ibraġ hived aff Birkirkara tae form pairt o the new parish an locality o Swieqi in 1993.

Birkirkara's main releegious feast is that o St Helen which is celebratit on 18 August if it falls on a Sunday, or on the first Sunday efter that date. The main event o the celebration is a procession wi a lairge widden statue carved bi the Maltese maister-sculptor Salvu Psaila. Notably, this is the ae procession on the island carried oot in the mornin. The procession leaves the basilica at exactly 8:00 a.m. an returns tae it at 10:45 a.m. The statue is liftit tae shoulder-heicht bi a group o tounsmen an is carried through the main streets o the ceety.

Birkirkara haes grown intae an important commercial centre as well as a densely populatit residential aurie.

Birkirkara is kent for its fitbaa club, Birkirkara F.C.."

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