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CHRISTMAS IN MALTA
 You are not likely to have a white Christmas in Malta. Weather conditions resemble those of Betlehem, the birthplace of Christ. The temperature during Yuletide fluctuates from a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius to a minimum of 9C. The Christmas festival, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, is observed around the Christian world on the 25 December - the date believed to have been fixed by St Hyppolytus in the 3rd century. Christmas
is a feast of peace and goodwill to all humans. Christmas is Christmas
everywhere, but there are certain characteristics that make Maltese Christmas
different from that of many other countries. The streets of towns
and villages are decorated and lit with multicolored lights (festuni). Shop windows
display the usual Christmas decorations and a large variety of toys and presents
to lure Christmas shoppers who jam the streets. Christmas trees (is-sigra
tal-Milied) and the figure of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) are seen all over
the place. The main feature, which is a typically Maltese tradition, is the
number of cribs (presepji) that can be seen in public places and in private homes.
The first Maltese crib we know of is that found at the Benedictine
Nuns in Mdina and bears on its framework the year 1826. Another crib of the
same period is found in Vittoriosa but this has been over restored and there is
almost nothing left of the original structure. The main characters in the crib
are naturally Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus together with the cow, the donkey
and the sheep; and the three Kings who came to visit the new born baby bearing
gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold. Traditionally, the crib figurines
(pasturi) were made of clay. Apart from the principal figures they include
shepherds minding their flock, street singers, the shepherd's pipe and drum
players, a farmer feeding the animals, woman carrying a flour sack, the sleeping
man and the man sprawling on his stomach and perched on top of the grotto looking
down at Baby Jesus. These fragile penny clay figurines were easily acquired
few years ago. Nowadays modern plastic figurines are more commonly found in
the Maltese family crib. The tradition of building cribs in churches and homes began in the 13th century by the Franciscan friars. The actual crib where Christ was born was brought from Betlehem in the seventh century and is preserved at the Liberian Basilica in Rome. The tradition of the Christmas
tree and Christmas cards (il-kartolini tal-Milied) was imported from Germany
in the 19th century. There is also a connection between the exchanging of
presents and the feast of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus), the patron saint of children.
Saint Nicholas was a bishop who lived in the 4th century and his feast is
celebrated annually on the 5th December. Nearly in every town and
village a procession is held with children carrying a small statue of baby Jesus
and singing Christmas carols along the way. In every parish church in Malta
and Gozo during midnight Mass a small child, dressed as an acolyte, recites a sermon
narrating the birth of Christ. Christmas offers a splendid occasion
for family gatherings. In most houses an attractively decorated Christmas
tree is put up beneath which are placed the various presents wrapped in colourful
paper. Christmas pudding (il-pudina tal-Milied) and turkey (id-dundjan) became
popular during the first and second world wars when thousands of sailors and
soldiers from the British Empire were stationed in Malta. The Island was a military
and naval base for the allies. Prior to these wars a rooster (serduq),
rather than turkey, was the bird to be served at Christmas dinner. The traditional
Christmas banquet normally includes the delicious Maltese dish called timpana,
backed macaroni covered with crusty pastry. A special kind of honey-and treacle
rings (qaghaq tal-ghasel) are eaten during the Christmas festivities. An
old tradition that survived up to this day is the sowing of wheat, grain
and canary seed (gulbiena) on clots of cotton in flat pans four weeks before
Christmas and nurtured in the darkness of cupboards in the kitchen. These seeds
shoot up and remain as white as Santa,s beard. They are then placed next to
the infant Jesus and around the crib. A custom which unfortunately
vanished many years ago was the playing of bagpipes (iz-zaqq). They characterised
the music of the shepherds who tended their flock on Christmas night. Folk
memory in Gozo records that for the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve bagpipes were
played in churches striking a genuine pastoral note. The most popular Christmas carol, which has been translated into every language on earth, is Silent Night'. |
Christmas is very important to the people of Malta and its sister Island of Gozo. Most people on Malta are Catholics and go to a Midnight Mass Service. Usually the churches are full up with people.  The Churches are decorated with lights and nativity cribs, Presepju, built by the church go-ers. Traditionally, the crib figurines, pasturi, were made out of clay, today some of the cribs are mechanical and the figures move in them! The figure of the baby Jesus is put on the main altar at midnight on Christmas night. At epiphany it is traditional to put the three figures of the Magi in the crib. There is a group on Malta called ?Friends of the Crib? who helped to keep the Maltese crib tradition alive. The first Maltese crib is believed to have been made in Malta in 1826 by the Benedictine Nuns of Mdina.
It is traditional to sow wheat, grain and canary seed, 'gulbiena', on cotton buds in flat pans five weeks before Christmas. These are left in dark corners in the house until the seeds produce white grass-like shoots. The pans with the fully-grown shoots are then used to decorate the crib or the statue of Baby Jesus.One Maltese Christmas tradition is the Priedka tat-Tifel which means 'the preaching of the child'. A boy or a girl, normally aged 7 to 10 years old, does the preaching of the sermon at the midnight mass instead of the priest! The Children learn the sermon by heart and start learning it four or five weeks before they preach on Christmas Eve. The parents, especially are also very excited and nervous about the performance as they would have helped the children to learn the sermon. The boy or girl tells the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and is encouraged to give their sermon a personal delivery which will touch the hearts of the church-goers. George Sapiano delivered the first known Christmas Eve sermon by an altar boy in 1883, in the parish church of Luqa. It has also become common for local churches to organise a mini-pageant with children dressed up as shepherds, Joseph and Mary carrying a baby doll (representing Jesus) acting out the story of the Nativity. This re-enactment starts at 11pm and is followed by High Mass at midnight.
Maltese houses are often also decorated with cribs with pasturi (which are small plastic or clay figures representing figures like the shepherds and angels). Large figures of the baby Jesus are sometimes put behind windows or in balconies and lit at night. Houses are also decorated with Christmas wreaths, candles and all sorts of other decorations. Every household also has a Christmas Tree decorated with light bulbs, tinsel and Christmas decorations.
On Malta, there is a catholic children's society children called the MUSEUM and on Christmas Eve they go out in procession with a figure of the baby Jesus Children follow the procession with lanterns singing Christmas Carols.
It is thought that the tradition was started in 1921 by Dun Gorg Preca, the founder of the MUSEUM in Malta (who is now being made a saint). We wanted that on Christmas Eve, MUSEUM members would organise a procession with Baby Jesus in all towns and villages.
At sunset on Christmas Eve in 1921, Fra Diegu Street in the town of Hamrun was crowded with children and adults ready to take part in the first procession. In those days, street lighting was very poor in Malta and so many people brought lanterns with them to help them see their way during the procession and to shed light on the statue of Baby Jesus carried shoulder-high by four boys. The different types of lamps included, gas powered bicycle headlamps, oil lamps used on farmers carts, coloured paper lanterns, Venetian lights, palm fronds and olive branches. The idea became very popular with people of all ages and so the very special Maltese traditional started.
A popular Maltese carol is ?ninni la tibkix izjed?. It means ?sleep and cry no more? and was written by the Jesuit Priest, Fr. Andrew Schembri (1774-1862) from Luqa for Maltese migrants in Tunis. There is a village on Malta called Siggiewi dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari in Italy and its feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of June.
Children on Malta get their presents from Santa Claus on Christmas night. Sometimes, Father Christmas comes knocking at doors early on Christmas night delivering presents!
Schools in Malta often hold a Christmas concert. Most of the children take part. It consists of Christmas Carols, plays with a Christmas theme, mimes poetry recitals etc. It is enjoyed by the children and teachers alike. Christmas parties are also often held in each class. Sometimes the children bring over food which their parents prepare at home and which is shared with every one in their class. Gifts are exchanged and sometimes money is collected which is then given to charity.
A concert and Christmas party is held every year at the Residential Home for the Disabled in Siggiewi. The residents take part in Christmas plays and carol singing helped by the people who work who work in the Home including Nuns. The Home is decorated and the atmosphere is great. The chapel is decorated with a beautiful crib with Baby Jesus. On Christmas Eve, a procession with the Baby Jesus is held and then Midnight Mass. Relatives of the residents also participate in the Christmas celebrations. Special food is prepared and the atmosphere is very happy!
Voluntary organisations also organise Carol Singing evenings in old people's homes and hospitals, helping to cheer up the elderly and sick with the spirit of Christmas.
Under the patronage of the President of Malta, the Community Chest Fund sets up a tent in Freedom Square in the town of Valletta, where volunteers help to raise donations of cash. The donations are then distributed to charity organisations such as orphanages and other charities, which often rely on donations to continue their work in the community.
Maltese people have a wide range of food at Christmas. Traditionally, the Maltese house-wife kept the fattest rooster, 'hasi', especially for Christmas Lunch, which was roasted at the local bakery in a casserole full of potatoes and vegetables. The traditional desert served at Christmas was the Treacle Ring, 'Qaghqa tal-Ghasel', and to finish it off, a hot Chestnut and Cocoa Soup, ?Imbuljuta tal-Qastan?, which was and is served as a cosy night cap during the cold December days in Malta. Today the traditional Maltese menu has made way for Christmas Turkey, Christmas Cakes, Christmas Puddings and Mince Pies, all inherited during 164 years of British rule (1800 - 1964) in Malta. Italian Panetone has also become a Christmas favourite.Thank you to Kittie Spiteri, Marianne Tabone and other Maltese people for supplying this information on Christmas in Malta! |
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Christmas World Over |
| Caroling, feasting, and gift giving along with the prayers and wishes - the Christmas is celebrated with high spirits all over the world. Though the mode of celebration, the dates and the traditions vary, the main spirit remains the same everywhere. For instance, the Christmas flower. If ponsietta is a Christmas flower here in Australia, it is white rose in the British Isles. If gifts here and in Britain are given on Christmas, it is done on New
Year in France and many other countries. While most of us celebrate it as a festive season spreading over a week, for some it is a month long festival that starts with the Advent on Sunday next to November 26 and ends on January 6 with the feast of Epiphany. For a glimpse over the different ways it is celebrated in different countries: |
   Launched on the 7 April, 1999 Updated Periodically - Please, visit this site often. Copyright 2007-08
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