In Malta and Gozo, almost every street and square glitters in the run-up to Christmas. Angels, stars and often the three holy kings are brought into position in every village. Magnificent fairy lights are strung across the streets and fountains and squares are decorated with figures. Santa Claus and glittering gift figurines are rarely seen. Snowmen are a little more popular, even if the wish for a white Christmas will probably never come true in Malta. In keeping with the Maltese nativity scene tradition, the birth of the baby Jesus takes center stage. Statuettes, known as pasturi, can be bought in stores from October. In the run-up to Christmas, many private homes decorate a window of their house with a nativity scene, workshops on nativity scene making are offered, museums display old pasturi by well-known artists and the many churches on Malta and Gozo invite visitors to take part in nativity plays. If you want to escape the highly consumer-oriented Christmas, Malta and Gozo are the right places for you.
It’s Christmas at its best in Bethlehem f’Għajnsielem. These are families from Gozo playing families from Bethlehem in the year one of our era. Bethlehem f’Għajnsielem is not Christmas kitsch, but a successful combination of Maltese folklore and the traditions of the Maltese nativity scene. The live nativity village on Gozo opens in mid-December. Click here for the report.
The research trip was supported by VisitMalta and VisitGozo
