Church of St Nicholas, Siġġiewi St Nicholas was built between 1675 and 1693. The church was consecrated on May 10, 1729. In 1862 the church was enlarged on the plans of Nikol Zammit. The side aisles, dome and portico were added. Every June the annual feast of Saint Nicholas is celebrated with great solemnity while on December 6 the liturgical feast of the saint is celebrated. The titular painting in the church is by the artist Mattia Preti, 'Il calabrese', who was also responsible for the painting on the vault of St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. The wooden statue which is carried in procession in
St. Martin's Day name in Irish "Díseart Mhartain" or 'Retreat of Martin'. In Sicily, November is the winemaking season. On St. Martin's Day Sicilians eat anise biscuits washed down with Moscato, Malvasia or Passito. More precisely, the hard biscuits are dipped into the Moscato. "l'Estate di San Martino" (Saint Martin's Summer) is the traditional Sicilian reference to a period of unseasonably warm weather in early to mid November. Saint Martin's Day is celebrated in a special way in a village near Messina and at a monastery dedicated to him overlooking Palermo beyond Monreale. Mārtiņi (Martin's) is traditionally celebrated by Latvians on November 10,