faith and drama - holy week celebrations in malta
Malta - 2008
Every year the numerous Churches and streets on the Maltese islands come alive in a pure manifestation of faith and drama culminating around the Holy Week. On the Maltese islands, still a staunch Catholic community, this time of year plays a crucial moment for the majority of the locals who in floods, participate in these events.
Preparations begin much before, and for those who organize them, it is many a time a year’s work. Various pageants and dramatic street manifestations done by amateurs who come together with real enthusiasm to recreate Christ’s passage to the passion take place in practically all the towns and villages around the islands. The churches display their best sculptures, normally related to the various episodes of Christ’s passion.
All this culminates in the Good Friday processions, where a huge crowd follows a good number of statues being carried around the streets of the town or village with funerary marches played along the way, and various enthusiasts who wear different costumes in order to re-create, what they believe to be Jerusalem in the time of Jesus Christ.
Every year the numerous Churches and streets on the Maltese islands come alive in a pure manifestation of faith and drama culminating around the Holy Week. On the Maltese islands, still a staunch Catholic community, this time of year plays a crucial moment for the majority of the locals who in floods, participate in these events.
Preparations begin much before, and for those who organize them, it is many a time a year’s work. Various pageants and dramatic street manifestations done by amateurs who come together with real enthusiasm to recreate Christ’s passage to the passion take place in practically all the towns and villages around the islands. The churches display their best sculptures, normally related to the various episodes of Christ’s passion.
All this culminates in the Good Friday processions, where a huge crowd follows a good number of statues being carried around the streets of the town or village with funerary marches played along the way, and various enthusiasts who wear different costumes in order to re-create, what they believe to be Jerusalem in the time of Jesus Christ.
