Local Christmas traditions

Valletta decked out for the festivities

Why is it that Christmas preparations seem to come round earlier every year? The race is on to arrive unscathed, yet sometimes you wish to pause and take the time to watch everyone else dashing around for once.

And why not do just that? Surely, this year you can afford to delegate to someone else the joy giving, the cake making and the stress that comes with putting together the Christmas lunch. While you're at it, why not observe someone else's traditions, somewhere else in the globe where they do things differently?

The mouth blown glass tree

So how do the Maltese celebrate Christmas? They still indulge in the usual frantic shopping, they still decorate the major shopping streets with colourful lights, they still adorn real or artificial trees with tasteless ornaments (although this year's Valletta Christmas tree made out of large mouth blown glass baubles is particularly stylish) but they also have some unique traditions of their own.

Napolitan crib on show at St John's CoCathedral

The Crib

Many of the traditions linked to this time are aimed at children and this is one of them. As children, we were sent to the local version of Sunday school, only it was every day - and, without a shred of irony, it was known as Duttrina (indoctrination). For our troubles, just before Christmas, the teachers lovingly crafted a presepju (crib) for each child - a miniature model of the nativity scene constructed in papier mâché, complete with plaster statuettes of the holy family. The tradition of the crib is one that's shared with the southern part of Italy and Sicily. Various towns in Malta exhibit cribs of various sizes and complexity around this time. Some of them can be extremely beautiful. Crib building of the type prevalent in Naples in Malta is said to have been introduced to Malta in the first half of the 17th century but was then the preserve of the rich. In the nineteenth century the Sicilian style of crib was introduced and flourished.

Little processions in the streets

The Children's Procession

Again, this tradition was started in 1907 by the same Society that runs the 'Sunday School'. Even for a heathen such as myself, coming across one of these processions in the streets of Malta can be quite an experience. The children hold candles and carry a statue of the baby Jesus while singing carols.

Photo by tisjir.com

The Honey Ring Cake

Although these days you might find this traditional sweet in all times of the year, the qaghaq tal-ghasel is a Christmas delicacy. The original mixture for the filling seems to have been made up of a cooked mixture of honey, semolina, and a liqueur of sorts. These days it is filled with a treacle mixture (see recipe on tisjir.com).

Spend Christmas & New Year at Valletta G-House

The Maltese Chav

A word I came across often in childhood was one which portrayed the bogeyman of social standing, the one label you avoided, the ultimate condescending insult. Here, Dr Mark-Anthony Falzon, Head of the Sociology Department at the University of Malta dares to tackle the social connotations of the word - ħamallu.

So, who are the ħamalli? We tend to use the word in two ways. First, to describe individuals who are boorish, crass, loud, and the rest. One can be a ħamallu generally, as in a life project, or episodically, as in a lapse or moment of rudeness. There may, on occasion, be a certain subversive delight in performing ħamallaġni - the Prince of Hanover urinating in public sort of thing.

Which brings us to the second usage, which has to do with class rather than individuals. To a certain middle-class eye, the ħamalli are people who are fond of hoop earrings, mullet hairstyles, flashy cars referred to in the masculine, tile-clad façades, and frilly wedding dresses. They also tend to address people as 'ħi', talk of 'dik' and 'dak', and flail their arms wildly as they do so.

Ħamallaġni is thought to be a territorial animal, in Malta as elsewhere. Jeremy Clarkson, for example, commonly mocks the 'Cheshire-ishness' of car spoilers and alloy wheels, and the 'Croydon facelift' is not a compliment in contemporary British culture. No prizes for guessing which parts of Malta are imagined to be the prime lumpen candidates.

Things get more interesting if we consider the antonym of ħamalli. 'Puliti''s the word, and it means all those who abhor hoop earrings, mullet lifestyles, and so on. When they blaspheme, they do so in private. If they speak Maltese in public at all, they make sure they soften their 'r's. Ħamalli call this effete, but what do ħamalli know.

Puliti are also keen to maintain a certain aristocratic hauteur. Things like festa and regatta, which involve verve and passion, are not for them. (Incidentally it may well be that the recent Church document on 'restoring' feasts is also a class discourse.) Nor are a bit of noise and fun - puliti weddings, for example, are boring affairs where people stand around talking politics in hushed-up voices. So far so clear, but there are two problems. First, one man's ħamallu is another man's pulit, and it is in fact very difficult objectively to be the latter. One could always move to Ibraġ (soft 'r' at all times), run a family hatchback, wear greys and browns, and pretend not to know the neighbours. As much fun as slitting one's wrists, and less colourful. If we add to this the terrifying possibility of arriviste pulit-hood, there really is no escape.

Second, the word is hardly clinical. I wouldn't recommend walking up to Mr B.I.G. Silencer and explaining he's a ħamallu. Whether or not he thinks he's pulit, you're going to come away with one very black eye indeed. You'd deserve it too, because it's not nice to call people names. Ħamallu, then, is a derogatory word, and pulit a complimentary one.

Kinky metal wear

The Guardian's Jonathan Jones writes about armour in art:

The artist Willem de Kooning once said oil painting was invented in order to portray flesh. He might just as well have said it was created to convey the metallic gleam of armour.

Men regularly wore metal in the 15th century, when oil painting first came into its own, and some of the greatest European painters were fascinated by the strange sartorial splendour of the battlefield and tournament.

You can visit the titillating armour in the Grandmaster's Palace in Palace Square when parliament is not in session.
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New kid on the blog

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This blogging thing is becoming habitual. As a certain articulate chap said, I can resist anything but temptation. An invitation came my way to guest blog on Robert Micallef's WIRED MALTA and I gracefully accepted (as elegant an undertaking of the sort can possibly be). The one strand of entries I am mostly excited about is a story that will be published in episodes. The story takes place in the town of Birgu (one of the Three Cities) and no doubt you will recognise quite a few locations and landmarks if you follow it. So far, only the first episode has been published, introducing our heroine, a British woman who has just moved to Malta and is in search of a house to buy.
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Suggestions for an evening with fireworks

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On the eve of 30 April, after an appetizing meal at Rubino's, head to the other side of Valletta. In front of the Knights old Hospital (The Mediterranean Conference Centre) you will find a flight of steps leading down to the Grand Harbour. Sit there, amongst the fishermen's huts and at 21:30 hrs you're in for a pleasant surprise.

The 8th edition of the Malta International Fireworks Festival will start off with a 15 minute fireworks display, designed by one company, followed by various other local factories, all vying for a trophy. Unfortunately I can't promise you'll be alone watching the display but it certainly makes for a romantic evening for you and your significant other.

The festival also commemorates the 5th anniversary to Malta's accession into the European Union.

FLASH NEWS | 29 April 2009:
Fireworks festival postponed
The Malta International Fireworks Festival has had to be postponed due to a mechanical fault in the ship carrying some of the fireworks. The organiser of the festival, the Malta Tourism Authority, said it is doing its utmost to hold the festival on Friday and Saturday.
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New York Times on Malta

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Came across this on the web. Thought I'd share it: The Frugal Traveller in Malta - New York Times. Enjoy
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Holy week

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the street down from Victory Square in Vittoriosa

This morning I ventured over to Vittoriosa and thought I'd wander down to Victory square for a coffee. It being close to Good Friday, the band club in the square has already started putting up the decorations related to the holy week. I walked down some steps and the paved road that leads from the square towards the water front and noticed some tourists walking out of a relatively modest looking church.

The church turned out to be the Collegiate Church of St Lawrence, one of the most historically venerated churches in Malta. The original building was built on its site in 1090 and the Knights adopted it as their first conventual church in 1530 after enlarging it. It contained many treasures the Knights brought over from Rhodes when, two years later, it was badly damaged in a fire. The present church is that which was built by Lorenzo Gafa' in the 17th century.


The pulpit

Inside I met a wonderful 72 year old volunteer who told me of the town's well known expertise in wood furniture and intarsjar (inlaid wood). He proudly showed me the amazing pulpit in the church as a prime example of such work.


A Mattia Preti

He insisted I have a closer look at the Mattia Preti painting above the altar. It depicts the martyrdom of St Lawrence. Lawrence is said to have been martyred on a gridiron. An interesting anecdote is that during his torture Lawrence cried out "Assum est, inquit, versa et manduca." (This side’s done, turn me over and have a bite). Christians' dark sense of humour never escapes them, it seems!


Spanish statue of Veronica (17th Century)

But what really intrigued me were the wooden sculptures, some imported from Spain and some sculpted by Maltese artists. They represent the different stages of Jesus' Passion. Some are rather gruesome and in normal circumstances (outside of a church) would require parental guidance.


The dead Jesus

The statue of the dead Christ is housed in an old hearse originally used for the funerals of prominent people during the time of the Order of St John. In 1793 a local by the name of Frangisku Demajo sponsored its redecoration with silver a martello.


Ganutell on top of the hearse decorated with hammered silver

Vittoriosa is one of the places one must visit during holy week. Buses number 01 and 04 from Valletta Gate take approximately 20 minutes to arrive in Birgu/Vittoriosa. Otherwise take a water taxi from Customs House.
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Valletta G-House speaks Portuguese

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Valletta G-House features on Portuguese travel magazine Rotas e Destinos this April. The G-House repute is spreading fast and here is a market that we might have completely missed had journalist Teresa Federico and photographer Manuel Gomes da Costa not come to visit.

No que toca a alojamento, a oferta hoteleira abunda em Malta. No entanto, alugar uma casa num bairro popular da capital proporciona certamente uma experiência especial. Primeiro projecto do género de Aldo Gatt, director de arte na área da publicidade a residir em Londres, a G-House é um boutique place num edifício do século XVI. Cruza o seu hobby de recuperar casas e o trabalho, através, por exemplo, do grande quadro que ornamenta o quarto, baseado num clássico de Eugène Delacroix mas resultante de uma foto do inglês Tim Flach, feita para uma campanha da luta contra o cancro. Está já alugada até Agosto, provavelmente com a ajuda da divulgação em revistas internacionais.

This is my extremely hopeless translation of what Teresa wrote in the article:

Hotel accommodation is easy to find in Malta. However, renting a house in a popular quarter of the capital certainly makes for a more special experience. The G-House is the first project of the kind for Aldo Gatt, an Art Director living in London. The boutique accommodation is in a XVI century town house. He gets great results with mixing his day job skills with his love for restoring old houses. Embellishing the main room, for example, is what looks like a classic painting of Eugène Delacroix but, a closer look will reveal it to be a Tim Flach photoshoot Aldo art directed, part of a cancer treatment advertising campaign. The house is booked well into August.

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Valletta needs you

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As you get lost in the streets and alleys of this World Heritage City, you can't help but notice that quite a few of the properties, some palatial in both size and style, seem to be empty and in need of some TLC. Have you always dreamt of embarking on a Grand Designs type of project? According to BuyAssociation.com, this is the perfect time to invest in a property in Malta.

It takes flair and courage, and most of all, it takes patience. Mediterranean style red tape and a laid back attitude towards work are two things you will need to learn to deal with. Sometimes you will also face a little bit of corruption at all levels and, at that point you will need to make decisions as to what's best to do - it is sometimes not as straight cut as one thinks.

An architect specialised in old properties, who knows his/her stuff can save you a lot of hassle. I have been in "restored" houses where such a lot of irretrievable damage has been done to the structure and integrity of the building that you feel like screaming out "idiots". A builder or even a mason who does not consult the architect because he thinks he knows it all is trouble waiting to happen. Don't even touch him with a barge pole.

I have a feeling that Global Property Guide's claim that Malta is "in the group of countries that has suffered from the most severe drops in property prices" is slightly exaggerated. In appearance I have not really noticed the decrease in prices GPG mentions.

...for people who are keen to own a home on one of the most popular islands for UK holidaymakers the recession could provide the opportunity to get a great bargain. Global Property Guide, along with almost every other industry watcher, doesn’t predict any significant upturn in the property market in 2009.

For those whose capital is not in EURO, they might have a problem:

Maltese property buyers are having to deal with the fact that the Euro has gained so significantly in strength against Sterling in the past six months, so the drop in prices is likely to offset this to some extent. In addition, the possibility of a rally in the value of the Pound against other currencies later in the year should mean that property in the Eurozone becomes cheaper for UK buyers, and may help the beginnings of a recovery for property prices.

Taxi fraud

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Recently, while making my way to Valletta to pick up our guests, the rear tire developed a puncture. I reluctantly instructed the guests to phone for a taxi. It later came to my knowledge that they were charged €25 for this short journey (a 15 minute 8 km journey). A London cab (where salaries are three times as much) would only set you back a maximum of £18 (€19.50 by today's rate) for the same length of daytime journey. A couple of days later I was stranded in Valletta (before 10:00 pm may I add) with no bus to take me to Paola and a howling wind that threatened to knock me off my feet, so I (again reluctantly) hailed a cab. I asked the unshaven taxi driver how much for the ride and he said €18. I replied I only had €10 and he immediately signaled for me to get in. I immediately realised I had probably offered too much but I felt I had no choice if I did not want to remain in the lurch.

First, does it not occur to taxi drivers that the reason why most Maltese do not make use of their service is that they have a reputation for overcharging?

Secondly, does not the Maltese Government have the guts to impose meters in taxis, and harsh penalties for those that are caught cheating? As a visitor, one can remain rather disgruntled with being cheated?

Thirdly, I discourage any use of taxis in Malta unless you know the average rate you are expected to pay so as not to be hoodwinked. According to the Public Transport Directorate, the journey from the airport to Valletta should cost you €23.29. Frankly I find that rather expensive even by London standards, let alone Maltese.
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Malta 1970 vs Malta 2009

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Not many people are aware of the length of time that the British author of dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess, along with his wife Liana, resided in the village of Lija in Malta (1968-1970), partly to avoid the 90% tax his family would have had to pay in Britain. Some of his literary contributions were not actually available to the Maltese public in those days. The censors on the island, pressured by the church in Malta, saw to it that the Maltese were protected from such "occasions of sin".

The Malta Independent have re-published an interview with Burgess that originally appeared in the Times of Malta in 1970, just before the author left Malta because of the censorship he encountered on the island. It is particularly poignant in view of the recent censorship of Anthony Neilson's Stitching in Malta.

You have ‘harshly criticised’ Malta on several occasions. Seeing that we have been under colonial rule for so long, don’t you partly blame your own countrymen for a great many things which have been left undone, say, in the educational and cultural fields? Don’t you think you are expecting far too much from such a small island?

Last question first. I don’t think size has much to do with cultural achievement. Look at what ancient Athens did, as well as Elizabethan London. Blame colonialism by all means, but remember that the British, unlike Napoleon, scrupulously refused to interfere with Maltese traditions and never tried to diminish the power of the Church. Malta has had its own destiny in its hands for many centuries. But by Malta I mean the ruling oligarchy, not the people. The people have always had a rough deal and they are still having it. Otherwise why so much emigration? They have never been encouraged to think for themselves. Their very language has been relegated to a minor place, while the oligarchs talked about art and politics in Italian or English. Who is to blame that Maltese has had an orthography for only a little over a century?

Surely Malta’s paternalism has been a good thing, no drug addiction here, no sexual perversion, not much violence.

We can eradicate any public evil we wish most efficiently if we employ dictatorial methods. The secret of government, as of private morality, is to balance individual freedom of choice with what is considered to be a necessary apparatus of repression. Lead us not into temptation. But it’s only to God that we pray so, it’s not up to the State to keep away the occasions of sin. There should not be any protection at all: it’s up to us as individuals to engage temptation and try to conquer. That’s what free will is about. Malta would try to do away with the concept of the Church Militant altogether and see this theocratic community as a trailer of the Church Triumphant. No fight against sin, no athletic struggle of the soul. Just the flabbiness of virtue achieved through sheer repression. If you can call such virtue virtue.

The Maltese cannot yet discriminate and judge for themselves and the majority are not prepared to cope with a flood of permissive literature, films and so on. What solution do you suggest for giving more intellectual freedom to a people traditionally not encouraged to think for themselves?

Are the Maltese different from any other people in the world? Are they not human beings? Give them what London or Rome already has, progressive cinema, the right to read books written and published in an honest spirit of enquiry as to the nature of man and society. Is Malta in greater need of protection than Rome? Or are Malta’s faith and morality so shaky that they cannot resist the onslaught of new ideas and images of life? Christ came to bring not peace but a sword, meaning, I should have thought, the dialectic of human living through which the faith should be brightened and sharpened. As for a greater permissiveness in the provision of art and literature people don’t have to go to the library or the cinema if they don’t wish. Nothing is being forced on anyone.

Read the interview in full on The Malta Independent on Sunday
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Valletta G-House on food-lover's blog

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"I am not a chef or a professional cook. My qualification is that I love to eat and I firmly believe that one can't ever cook well unless you love food and in turn eating."

Nanette writes a blog about food and lives in Australia but her parents are Maltese so mouthwatering Maltese dishes frequently find their way amongst her beautifully illustrated recipes. This usually makes me get homesick for my mother's own cooking.

"I guess I have always been passionate about food and I think this has something to do with my heritage and upbringing. My parents are Maltese and immigrated to Australia in the 1960's. They are both of the generation and belief that 'Food is Love' so the greater amount of food, the greater the love."

Her latest blog is about our boutique accommodation in Valletta. Nanette writes:

"The Valletta G-House is an elegant private town house nestled within the walls of Valletta and is a 10-minute walk from capital's waterfront. This 16th century home has been painstakingly restored with great attention to detail and comes fully equipped with all the latest modern conveniences, whilst still managing to retain its original character."

We shall certainly keep an eye on Nanette's blog. Her combination of cooking and design is one that mixes well. When I'm back in the UK, in a few months' time, I shall try cooking some of the dishes on Gourmet Worrier, but until then I shall have to sit back and enjoy my mama's own cooking.
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Valletta Alive website

Rather busy this week but wanted to mention a couple of things I came across that you might appreciate being aware of. The first is an information website supported by the Valletta Alive Foundation with information about What to do in Valletta, restaurants and the like.

Second is the news that Malta International Airport is now offering free Wi-Fi to commuters. Our guests in Valletta have various options as to internet cafes close to Valletta G-House. The one I love going to because of its well lit interiors is M&S in Strait Street (about 10 minutes walk from VGH) but there are various others within walking distance.

VGH amongst Elle magazine's hip new destinations

December's issue of Elle magazine is full of ideas in its travel section on how to dodge the credit crunch.

From four-day trips to 10-day luxe breaks, there's a HIP NEW DESTINATION for every budget. What credit crunch?

Amongst some amazing destinations it features Malta as "a more grown-up, less expensive Ibiza" highlighting some of the less well known entertainment places like the gorgeous Bedouin Bar in Paceville, with its chilled Moroccan atmosphere (must give it a try myself, as soon as I have a moment).

It could not but mention the stylish Twotwentytwo in Valletta (although the correspondent managed to get the name and url wrong, calling it Twenty Two). This bar/restaurant has hogged the international press' attention and is being hailed as the way forward for Valletta, contemporary architecture that compliments the history and culture of the city.

Elle also mentions Muddies in Balluta (not my kind of thing at all) as well as "the elegant waterfront restaurants in St Julians" and then concentrates on the city of Valletta which it says "is a great base with unbeatable views and shopping".

When it comes to where to stay, Elle lauds Valletta G-House

Valletta G-House is a chic apartment in a 16th century townhouse. It's crammed with original features, oil paintings adorn the stone walls, the kitchen is sculpted out of the cellar and heavy antique furniture gives a sense of grandeur. Stone stairs lead to the huge bedroom with a mosaic floor and vast oak bed.

The oil paintings mentioned by Elle magazine are photographic reinterpretations of two famous paintings - Liberty Leading the People and The Raft of the Medusa

Old memories - new Malta

As I was brought up on the islands of Malta, I have fond untarnished memories of the place. Sometimes the urge to conserve these memories conflicts with the changes I see on my visits. It is unfair of me (and perhaps ever so slightly pretentious) to want to preserve the Malta of my youth when the inhabitants demand change.

At Valletta G-House we do host guests who have known the old Malta, whose recollections are soon to be reconciled with today's reality. My ingeniuity at attempting to prepare them for this finds they do not have such expectations. As it happens, they are astounded by the many beautiful things that have remained the same. Perhaps it helps that they are staying in a city protected by its World Heritage status.

James Jackson has lived in Malta during the 60s. He talks about Malta's metamorphosis in last week's The Daily Telegraph (UK):

"Somehow, the spirit of the island survived, the century changed, and inexpensive air travel ensured the lagered-up and clinically obese could reach every other inch of our threatened planet. Malta was faced with a pressing challenge: to reinvent and rebrand itself or die. It chose the former.

Visit Valletta, that baroque gem of a capital perched above one of the greatest natural harbours on earth, today, and you will find a manic pedestrianisation and congestion-charge programme under way. Gone are the tawdry shops and fly-blown cafés; vanished are the derelict wharves and vacant warehouses.
In their place is a harbour promenade lined with bars and restaurants able to mix with the salubrious best. There are super-yachts in the marina (Roman Abramovich's vessel has been here) while the rich and famous are snapping up holiday bolt-holes on the neighbouring island of Gozo; international artistes, from Sting and Elton John to José Carreras and Andrea Bocelli, are content to fly in and perform."

"Restaurants, too, are participating in the Malta makeover, with their horizons broadening and menus becoming increasingly adventurous. Popular with bright young things is Da Pippo in Valletta's Melita Street, a trattoria that serves a blend of Italian, Sicilian and Maltese food. A little more formal, and favoured by the movers and shakers, is Rubino - with its well-stocked cellar - in Old Bakery Street. But Fusion 4 in St John's Cavalier Street is the place for dinner. Set into the 400-year-old city bastions of Valletta, and offering local and international dishes, it symbolises the new scope and ambition in the island's kitchens.

Nowhere is change more apparent than in Valletta's bars. The minimalist 222, just opened in the city walls, will doubtless act as a catalyst for similar venues catering to a cosmopolitan crowd. Walk down Strait Street - once the capital's red-light district - and nightlife is plainly thriving. Popular among the cognoscenti are Trabuxu - which occasionally hosts live bands and art events - and the larger and cooler Labyrinth. If not exactly swinging, the capital is definitely beginning to sway."

The film "Malta Story" - a trip down memory lane for lots