Maltese folklore, traditions and legends still live in the minds of the older-generations, and these are slowly being studied and categorized, like any other European tradition. The use of Italian has declined as a result of British influence and official anti-Italian policy, with English becoming the official language of education, along with Maltese in 1934. However, television from Italy is widely watched in Malta, having been available before the country introduced its own service in the early 1960s. Consequently, local festivals, similar to those in southern Italy, are commonplace, celebrating weddings, christenings and, most prominently, saints' days.
British influences remain strong. Many Maltese avidly follow English football matches, even though the Italian Football League is also followed. Malta also has its own national soccer team. Traffic still drives on the left, as in the UK, and many visitors from the UK are surprised to see British-made cars from the 1960s and 1970s still driving on the road. The old Maltese buses, which in reality were ex-British Armed forces carriers, were pressed into public transport as long ago as the early 1950s. Nowadays, though, these have been replaced by the proper thing. The buses used to be colour coded, according to their routes. Now they are all dark yellow, with a band of orange.
Roman Catholicism is the official state religion of Malta. However, full liberty of conscience and freedom of worship is guaranteed. An estimated 90% of the population is Roman Catholic, though only 50% practice the religion. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English, but Italian is also widely understood.
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