Holy Week in Malta

Numerous religious traditions, most of them inherited from one generation to the next, are part of the Paschal celebrations in the Maltese Islands.

40 days before

Preparations for these solemn festivities usually commence forty (40) days before Easter Sunday ("Ħadd il-Għid"), traditionally starting on Palm Sunday ("Ħadd il-Palm"), which in itself is the first day of penitential period following the end of the Carnival celebrations. This is a time for penance, and the older generation will recall that not so many years ago fasting ("sawm") on a daily basis was obligatory. Rules in this respect have now been relaxed considerably, and obligatory fasting is now limited to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There are also people that do not eat meat and sweets, every Wednesday and Friday through these 40 days.

Until recently, throughout the Lenten period, the interior of Maltese churches would be draped in purple, with statues and paintings covered in mourning crêpe.

Lent

Lenten sermons ("eżerċizzji"), meant to bring about reconciliation between man and his Creator, are held in all parishes in Malta and Gozo over a number of days, generally in the evenings. The traditional Way of the Cross is another very popular devotion during this period, with the faithful meditating at the fourteen Stations of the Cross (Via Sagra) relating various episodes of the Passion and Crucifixion of Our Lord.

A number of penitential pilgrimages are also held, and statues depicting scenes from the Passion are venerated in several churches. And some churches also dress in black damask.

Our Lady of Sorrows Day

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows ("Id-Duluri") has a very special place in the hearts of thousands of Devotees. This feast is traditionally celebrated on the Friday before Good Friday, with the faithful walking in the procession behind penitential pilgrimages in practically every town and village. Traditionally, some of the penitents walk barefoot or drag heavy chains tied to their feet, in fulfilment of some vow for favours received through divine intercession. The most popular Our Lady of Sorrows procession, is that one that held in the church of Our Lady of Jesus, in Valletta.

From Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday

Holy Week ("Il-Ġimgħa Mqaddsa") celebrations start on Palm Sunday ("Ħadd il-Palm"), commemorating Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. However, celebrations really take off on Maundy Thursday ("Ħamis ix-Xirka"), with the commemoration of the Last Supper ("L-Aħħar Ċena"). Traditionally, the faithful pay visits to seven Altars of repose ("Sepulkru"), preferably in different churches. Several artistic examples of these Altars, beautifully decorated for the occasion, are to be found in a number of parishes in Malta and Gozo. But the most popular are the Altars of Repose that set in the churches of The Three Cities, Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea. On Maundy Thursday, in some localities also stop the working of the bell, and took the work of the bell the "Ċuqqlajta", this is very popular in Żejtun.

Representations of the Last Supper table are put up in many towns and villages, and typically, the food used in these displays is distributed among the poor and needy of the parish.

Good Friday

Good Friday ("Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira") is a day of penance, and this is strictly observed through the veneration of the Cross ("is-Salib") and through traditional Good Friday processions in different parishes. Statues representing various scenes from the Passion and Death of Christ, several of them veritable works of art by local artisans, are carried processionally. Figures dressed in Biblical, Roman and Jewish attire also take part, as do the local bands playing funeral marches.

The following site is about Good Friday celebrations in Valletta, the Capital City of Malta)

http://www.freewebs.com/gimghalkbiravalletta/ [http://www.freewebs.com/gimghalkbiravalletta/]

The Good Friday ritual in Malta includes visits to seven tabernacles, or "Altars of Repose", in seven different churches. Sombre, and solemn religious processions and pageants are held in many towns and villages, with statues and costumed, local amateur actors representing scenes from the Passion of Christ. In some parts of Malta, these processions will include a number of penitents dressed in white robes and hoods, walking barefoot (or occasionally with chains tied to their ankles) as an act of penance or in fulfilment of a vow. This is a unique, medieval tradition which still survives today. Easter Sunday in Malta, by contrast, is marked by the incessant pealing of church bells, and festive, fast-paced processions, with the youth of each town running through the streets bearing sculptures of the Risen Christ.

Easter Sunday

The scene changes on Easter morning, and the triumphal Resurrection is traditionally celebrated with the statue of the Risen Christ ("L-Irxoxt") generally being carried "on the trot" through the main streets to the applause of the crowds. Children too enjoy, thanks to gifts of Easter Eggs ("Bajd ta' l-Għid") and traditional 'figolla', usually a pastry figure of a lamb or fish which carry with them and hold out to be blessed by the Risen Christ.

Traditional food eaten throughout Holy Week

Traditional Maltese food for the Lenten period includes "qagħaq tal-Appostli" (Apostles' Rings), which are circular loaves of unleavened bread studded with roasted almonds and sprinkled with sesame seeds, and honey cakes known as "kwareżimal" (the name refers to the "quadragesima", or 40 days of Lent). On Easter Sunday children are rewarded for their abstinence from sweets throughout Lent by means of a "figolla", or Easter cookie made with almond paste, covered in sweet, coloured icing, and formed in a festive shape, such as a rabbit, a baby chick, a duck or a traditional Maltese fishing boat ("dgħajsa").

Traditional food of Lent period and Good Friday

*Kwareżimal (Lent cake)
*Karamelli (Julep sweets)
*Pastizzi ta' l-Inċova (Anchovy cakes)
*Torta tal-Ħaxu (Riccota pie)
*Qaqgħa ta' l-Appostli (Apostles ring bread)
*Qaqoċċ (Artichoke)
*Bebbux (Snails)

Traditional food of Easter Sunday

*Figolla
*Bajd ta' l-Għid (Easter Eggs)
*Ħaruf (Lamb)

ee also

*Easter Sunday Processions in Malta and Gozo
*Zejtun Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows
* [http://www.guidetomalta.net/good_friday_processions.htm Good Friday procession article]