Ħamrun

Ħamrun (Maltese: Il-Ħamrun) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014.

The villagers are traditionally known as Tas-Sikkina (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who carry a knife') or as Ta' Werwer (which literally means 'those who scare' or more colloquially, 'the scary ones'). This appellation could stem from the fact that a considerable number of Hamrunizi used to work as stevedores on the docks and thus carried a knife at all times. Another theory was that the community of Sicilians who settled here illegally in the 16th century danced a traditional dance which involved the wielding of small stilettos which they carried in their socks, waving them in the air and back to their sheaths.

Notable residents

San Ġorġ Preca (founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine) although born in Valletta, lived most of his life in Ħamrun. He is buried in a Chapel in Ħamrun. It is the home town of former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and of Presidents Anton Buttigieg and Guido de Marco. The founder of the Malta Workers' Union (UHM), Salvino Spiteri, was born and lived here.