Qormi

Qormi(Maltese:Ħal Qormi[ħalʔormi]; pronouncedĦar Qurmiin theQormi dialect), also known by its titleCittà Pinto, is a city in theSouthern RegionofMalta, southwest ofVallettain the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), making it Malta's fifth-largest city.
Qormi has two parishes, one dedicated toSaint Georgeand one toSaint Sebastian. It contains two valleys: Wiedil-Kbir(The Large Valley) andWied is-Sewda(Black Valley). Its bordering towns areMarsa,Luqa,Żebbuġ,Siġġiewi,Ħamrun,Birkirkara,Attard,Santa VeneraandBalzan.
Elder inhabitants of Qormi speak a broadQormi Dialect, which is now in decline.
The name Qormi is most likely derived from the surnameCurmi, which is documented in Sicily as of 1095.Several other places in Malta derive their names from surnames, includingBalzan,AttardandGhaxaq. When Qormi is mentioned for the first time in the year 1419, only two of twenty people with the surname Curmi lived in the village.
Alternative folk etymologies have been put forward since the 17th century. Domenico Magri connects the toponym to the wordcurmias drink.G.F. Abela refers tocarmorcarmeas the Arabic term forvineas origin of the village name.Agius de Soldanis proposed the Greekcrumi, collection of water.Finally C. Scicluna likens it to the Greekhormos, harbour, as the Great Harbour used to go inland as far as Qormi.In both latter cases, there is no documentary evidence for any Greek origin of the toponym.
There are indications of Qormi being inhabited in antiquity.Bronze Agepottery was found in the area known asStabalindicating presence of humans as early as 1500-800 BC.Punictombs have been found at St Edward's Street and Tal-Bajjada. Also, someAncient Romanremains were found in the valley ofWied il-Kbir. However, chances are that in these times, there were only small communities in the whereabouts of Qormi.
In the Middle Ages, Qormi started to grow and prosper, probably due to its proximity to the Grand Harbour and its central position. The first written reference to the town is made in 1417 where it is recorded that the town provided some 100 men to serve in theDejma, the national guard.
Qormi is likely to have suffered a period of decline during theGreat Siege of Maltadue to the proximity of the Turkish camp in Marsa.
When Mons.Pietro Dusina, Malta's firstInquisitorandApostolic Delegate, wrote his report of 1575 he records Qormi as being one of the active parishes administering a large area which today includesĦamrunand evenValletta. The present St George Parish church was completed in 1684.
In 1743 the town made a plea to Grand MasterManuel Pinto da Fonsecato elevate it to the level of a "city". This was granted and the town received the title ofCittà Pintoon 25 May 1743.The decree issued by Pinto said "Habita relatione, Terra Curmi erigmus In Civitatem, Imponentes el nomen Pinto", which means that the land of Qormi, to which he gave his own name Pinto, was then given higher dignity from a piece of land to a city, a fact which is now preserved in the locality's Latin motto: "Altior Ab Imo" (which means, rising from the low). Qormi's bakers served most of the island's bread supplies.
Qormi also experienced plague, which led to some declines throughout its history. However, during the British rule, Qormi moved on with new institutions opening up, mainly schools. Following 1850 Qormi became one of the largest inhabited centres in Malta, with amenities such as water and electricity, which were somewhat rare in those times. Trade and crafts grew, especiallyHorse racingwhich is a hobby that Maltese often attribute to people from Qormi.
During theWorld Wars, Qormi played a small part as well. InWorld War I, many people from Qormi were employed at several British bases such as inThessaloniki, and the ones in Qormi as well, such as the airship station in the area known as Saint Sebastian, which would later become a parish itself. InWorld War II, people from Qormi formed part of the Armed Forces. Qormi also became a refuge to many people from theCottoneraarea, which was badly hit because this area sits off theGrand Harbour, and area which was fiercely attacked by theAxis powers. Qormi, although close, is not exactly in the Grand Harbour region, making it ideal for refuge in those times.
Qormi has two parishes, dedicated toSaint GeorgeandSaint Sebastian. Saint George's parish was the first one.  However, when Qormi was growing, there was the need for the city to be split into two parishes to facilitate growth. Saint Sebastian was chosen because Qormi had turned to him during times of plague infestation, since he is the protector andpatron saintof people ill from plague, according to Catholic tradition. This led to many Qormi citizens carrying the name ofĠorġ(George) andBastjan(Sebastian) and their equivalents and derivatives.
Nowadays Qormi is the third largest locality in the nation of Malta, with two parishes, several institutions and a local council that governs the locality.
Local governance existed during theFrench occupation of Maltain 1798 however this was a limited and short-lived experiment. It was only in the 1990s that local councils were introduced in Malta with the first local council elections in Qormi taking place in 1994. Subsequent elections took place in 1998, 2001,2004and 2007.
The following served as Qormi mayors:
Qormi has a Government Health Centre(colloquially referred to asil-Poliklinik) – situated in San Dwardu Area. In the Wied area, there is also a private boutique hospital, St. Thomas Hospital.Qormi has other various pharmaciesand private clinics.
Malta's staple food is bread andMaltese breadis very much sought after. Qormi is recognized nationally as the capital ofMaltese bread-making. It boasts the largest number of bakeries in the country, several of which still operate in the traditional manner using wood-fired ovens.
In 2007, Qormi's historical significance was brought to the forefront when it hosted the national event 'Lejl f'Casal Fornaro' (A Night in Casal Fornaro), reminiscent of Qormi's name from centuries ago. This event drew an unprecedented number of attendees, surpassing even the turnout for the traditional feasts. The event's success led to its continuation in 2008 and 2009, with the fourth edition scheduled for October 16, 2010. During this event, visitors may immerse themselves in a traditional Maltese village, where they can enjoy shows and exhibitions that showcase the heritage and traditional life of Qormi. Additionally, they can experience authentic Maltese cuisine.
Qormi also holds an annualQormi Wine Festivaland Malta National Spring Festival. On the third edition of the Malta National Spring Festival in 2011, some Qormi Bakers baked the biggest loaf in the world which weighed two tons and had a diameter of nine feet.
Qormi has twopatron saintswhich areSaint GeorgeandSaint Sebastian.
Qormi is divided into two parishes dedicated to these two saints. The first parish was that of Saint George. The parish of Saint Sebastian was created in 1936 after being made into a subsidiary parish in 1918. The origins of this parish go back to a statue to the saint erected as an act of thanksgiving for deliverance during theplague of 1813anda small churchbuilt in 1880.For two weeks in summer, the town celebrates the feasts of its saints. The feast of Saint George is celebrated in the last Sunday of June, while the feast of Saint Sebastian is celebrated in the third Sunday of July.
The town is also known for itsGood Fridayprocession from the church of Saint George which features a number of life-size statues and over 500 participants.
Under the guidance of the St George archpriest, there is the Kumitat Festi Esterni (AD 1919). This committee is responsible for a large number of activities, which raise funds for the organization of the local fiesta. It is the first committee of the sort in Malta.
Known in Maltese asŻoni(Zones),Naħat(Sides) orInħawi(Areas), Qormi is composed of the following neighbourhoods, separated into two differentParroċċi(Parishes), which also denote geographical areas:
Parroċċa San Ġorġ(Parruċċa San Ġorġ)
This is the old village core of Qormi. This area dates back to hundreds of years back, with the Saint George Parish Church dating back all the way to 1436. This area is home to theGħaqda Mużikali San Ġorġ Martri A.D 1893club.
Along with the San Ġorġ area, this is one of oldest zones of the city. This is essentially a residential area which is situated close to the San Ġorġ area.
Adjacent to the San Ġorġ area, the San Franġisk area is situated around the Pjazza San Franġisk,which acts as an open space in the heart of Qormi. The square gets its name from an old chapel dedicated toSaint Francis of Paola.In 2015, it was reported that this chapel was to undergo a €68,000 renovation project,€41,000 of which was to be funded by MEPA.The project was finished around a year later and it was said to have cost just over €50,000.Although not very big, this area has served as a space for celebrations, most notably relating to Qormi F.C. wins. This may have been the traditional spot due to the presence of an old bar owned by the football club.
The name means "The Valley", and this has been nicknamed so as it is really and truly a part of a valley, due to the low-lying nature of the city. This area has until recently been known for flooding when storms hit Malta.The headquarters and training grounds of Qormi F.C. and the Qormi Youth Nursery, can be found in this area. This complex was renovated and relaunched in 2012 as the Qormi FC Football Complex.In the area, the Qormi Cemetery is also found (Iċ-ċimitierjuin the Qormi dialect), as well as a private hospital, launched in 2013and completed in 2016.
This area is the uphill from The Wied area, and mostly it is an industrial and office area, with headquarters ofHSBCMalta andPwCMalta. It is infamous for a shootout that occurred in 2005.In 2017, the area was earmarked for a development policy shift to enable potential improvements in the area.
Close to the Tal-Ħlas area, Ta' Farżina is a residential area, most notably with a large number of blocks of flats.
Although the area is another residential area, just off Tal-Vitorja, it gets its name from a chapel in the countryside of Qormi (on the side of this area), Tal-Ħlas referring to "Deliverance", or Our Lady of Deliverance.
This is a residential area close to the Saint Sebastian borders. It gets its name from the Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Victory.
Parroċċa San Bastjan(Parruċċa San Bastjun)
The newer downtown centre, San Bastjan revolves around theKnisja Parrokkjali ta' San Sebastjan(Parish Church of Saint Sebastian. Not very far, there is the Old Church of Saint Sebastian (Il-Knisja l-Qadima), which has now been converted into a church museum. The Pinto Philarmonic Society każin is situated here.
The area has a small number of bars, cafes and food take away joints, together with grocery shops, stationeries, and other public amenities. The Local Council offices are situated between this area and Tal-Vitorja.
San Dwardu is a residential area in the San Sebastjan Parish, taking its name from a principal street in the area, Triq San Dwardu.
Iż-Żona Industrijali Tal-Ħandaq, was first scheduled in 1992 to become a Housing Estate, eventually it was changed to become an Industrial Estate, sitting on the outskirts, on the west side.
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|Qormi FC|Football|Maltese Premier League|-
|Qormi Hockey Club|Field hockey|Maltese Hockey League|-
|Qormi Sharks RFC|Rugby union|Malta Rugby Union National Championship|-
|Qormi BC|Basketball|Maltese National Basketball League
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|Qormi Clay Shooting Club
|Clay pigeon shooting|
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|Qormi Klabb tal-Boċċi San Sebastjan
|Boċċi|
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|Qormi Klabb tal-Boċċi San Ġorġ
|Boċċi|
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|Qormi Cycling Club 
|Cycling|
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|Qormi Athletic Club
|Athletics|
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|Ċaċċu Social Club
|Pool/Darts|
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|Qormi Pigeon Racing Club
|Pigeon racing|
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