The etymology of the village may be a corruption of Tirix, meaning a large stone, similar to those used for the village's noted temples. The village motto is Tyrii Genure Coloni.
Demographics
Tarxien's population stood at 7,724 villagers in December 2008, which increased to 8,583 by March 2014. When the summer comes, the heat drives most of the citizens of Ħal Tarxien to the seaside villages of Malta, often bringing down the population of the village to about two-thirds of what it is during the colder months. Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray id:darkgrey value:gray id:sfondo value:rgb id:barra value:rgb ImageSize = width:455 height:303 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:8500 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:200 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1948 text:1948 bar:1957 text:1957 bar:1967 text:1967 bar:1985 text:1985 bar:1995 text:1995 bar:2005 text:2005 bar:2011 text:2011 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1901 from: 0 till:2065 bar:1911 from: 0 till:2820 bar:1921 from: 0 till:2876 bar:1931 from: 0 till:3247 bar:1948 from: 0 till:4607 bar:1957 from: 0 till:7706 bar:1967 from: 0 till:7989 bar:1985 from: 0 till:7016 bar:1995 from: 0 till:7412 bar:2005 from: 0 till:7597 bar:2011 from: 0 till:8380 PlotData= bar:1901 at:2065 fontsize:XS text: 2065 shift: bar:1911 at:2820 fontsize:XS text: 2820 shift: bar:1921 at:2876 fontsize:XS text: 2876 shift: bar:1931 at:3247 fontsize:XS text: 3247 shift: bar:1948 at:4607 fontsize:XS text: 4607 shift: bar:1957 at:7706 fontsize:XS text: 7706 shift: bar:1967 at:7989 fontsize:XS text: 7989 shift: bar:1985 at:7016 fontsize:XS text: 7016 shift: bar:1995 at:7412 fontsize:XS text: 7412 shift: bar:2005 at:7597 fontsize:XS text: 7597 shift: bar:2011 at:8380 fontsize:XS text: 8380 shift: TextData= fontsize:S pos: text:Census data
Main sights
Prehistoric temples
The oldest temple here is said to date back to about 3600 BCE. The temples feature various statues and reliefs of animals, including goats and pigs. Most notable of the statues found in the Temples are about 2.5 m in height, and are said to represent a sort of Mother Goddess. There are several of these statues scattered around the various temples, and are thought to represent fertility. There was also one of three small baked clay figurines in the form of what is said to be a priest that was found here.
Churches
The parish church of Ħal Tarxien is dedicated to the Annunciation of Our Lady, hence the Tarxinizi consider the Blessed Virgin Mary, particularly at Her Annunciation as the Patron and Protector of their town and its whole population. The church was elevated to the status of parish in 1592, making it one of the oldest parishes of Malta. A key part of Ħal Tarxien culture is the feast of the Annunciation, whose feast is celebrated in late May or first Sunday of June. It is celebrated with religious celebrations and liturgical services at the parish church, and publicly with street decorations, band marches in the village streets and large aerial and ground firework displays. The second largest church in town is dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ better known by the locals as "Ta' l-Erwieħ". The word means "of the souls" and it is used due to the old cemetery that surrounds the church. This church is right next to the renowned Tarxien Neolithic Temples and is visited by many tourists as many of the prehistoric remains were also found in the mentioned cemetery. There are two other small chapels in Ħal Tarxien. These are dedicated to St. Bartholomew and St. Mary respectively. There is also another chapel which is housed in the convent of the Sisters of Charity. This is dedicated to 'Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception'. The same congregation have a school. There is also another church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentino and a convent which belongs to the Augustinian Friars.
Local Council
The Ħal Tarxien local council members are:
Joseph Abela Galea
Darlene Vella
Christian Pace
Neil Portelli
Tommy Debattista
Anabelle Marmara
Ismael Dalli
Band clubs
The only band club in Ħal Tarxien is the Għaqda Mużikali Marija Annunzjata founded in 1862. The Ħal Tarxien Band Club main aims are to promote the music culture amongst the locals of Ħal Tarxien and to co-organise the external titular festivities in honour of the Annunciation of Our Lady, Patroness of Ħal Tarxien, held annually during the last week of May.
The Annunciation Band Club http://www.tarxienbandclub.com
Former Speaker of the House of the Representatives and Ambassador of Malta to the Vatican, Chev. Dr. Jimmy Farrugia lived at Ħal Tarxien until his death in 2007.
Chev. Raffaele Bonnici Calì, painter, restorer and local historian lived in Ħal Tarxien until his death in 2002.
