With the first of April just around the corner, it’s time for something a little bit more light-hearted on our end. We wouldn’t say that Malta has a very strong April Fool’s culture here, although if you’ve been here enough you’ll know that the Maltese have a very specific brand of humour that’s witty and generally somewhat naughty. You’ll also know we’re always up for a good laugh and don’t need any reason to whip out the metaphorical joke book, so pranks do often go down a treat here, too.
Whether you’re Maltese-born and raised, or if this is your first time on the island, you might be looking for a few Malta-specific pranks to play on your friends, family, or loved ones. That’s where we come in, as we’ve thought of a few simple practical jokes that we reckon should work pretty well. Don’t share this article before you’ve tested a few out, or your victims will catch on!
The Nasty Pastizzi Prank
There’s only one thing that’s better than a pastizz, and that’s a free pastizz. That means that if you offer a pastizz to anyone, it’s almost impossible to find someone who will refuse. Even the initial hesitations of ‘le ta, I’m on a diet’ can be thwarted by the irresistible fumes of flaky goodness.
The premise of this prank is simple – buy (or make) a few ricotta pastizzi…and hide a large glob of toothpaste in the filling. The first few bites of heaven will quickly lead into a something a lot more hellish.
The Weather Prank
If you’ve lived in Malta for longer than five minutes, you probably know how temperamental Malta’s weather is. The only constant seems to be in summer, when the weather ranges from ‘hot’ to ‘unbearably scorching’. Every other season is a bit of a moody mess, and since April Fool’s happens in Spring, you have the opportunity to use the weather to your advantage for a few laughs.
This one is super simple – all you need to do is tell a friend (who won’t have gotten out of bed yet) what the weather is like that day, but of course you’d be describing the exact opposite of what the weather will actually be like. Your friend will likely dress up for the day all wrong, and have to change his outfit again before he really leaves the house.
The ‘It’s a Public Holiday’ Prank
That Malta has an overabundance of public holidays is a well-known fact. We have so many public holidays that we can barely keep up with them all, but nobody who’s even slightly hedonistic is going to pass up the chance to take it easy all day.
That means you might manage to convince someone – Maltese or not – that the 1st of April is actually a public holiday. Make up a saint or fake World War II period celebration – it’s your call.
This year, April Fool’s is happening on a Saturday. This makes your job somewhat easier because most people won’t be working anyway. On the downside, you probably won’t be convincing anyone that they don’t need to go to work, but you might be able to rouse some patriotic sentiments that you can poke fun at later when you explain that there is no such public holiday.
The –Insert Monument Here- Has Collapsed Prank
This one is probably a little mean-spirited considering that people are still feeling the loss of the Azure Window, but that’s all the more reason for it to work. Pick one of Malta’s monuments. It can be a natural monument (we have a whole article on these), or even one of Malta’s megalithic temples (we have an article on these, too!) and convince a friend that it’s collapsed, you’ll be an April Fool’s King. Don’t let anyone mourn for too long, though!
The ‘I’m Staying in Malta Forever’ Prank
If you’re only meant to be living in Malta for a few days, weeks, or months, you can always give your family a scare by telling them you love it so much here that you’re going to stay here forever. You can make the story even more elaborate by mentioning that you’ve met the love of your life, or that you think the living conditions are too good to get away from.
We reckon it would be very easy for this prank to succeed, too. After all, who wouldn’t want to live in Malta forever?
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