MaltaMedia.com

Set in an underground war shelter this live crib presents the Christmas event as taking place in a Maltese environment of days gone by. It is the new addition to a three-section annual Christmas exhibition being held in St. Philip Band Club of Zebbug Malta.

The first section presents a large static crib constructed in the shape of a horse-shoe measuring some 4m by 3m and adorned with 1150 clay figurines made locally by Lino Fardell. Running water and rotating windmill compliment the scenic rocky hills and valleys all newly constructed by veteran crib-maker Brian Bonnici, who has extensive experience in exhibiting large cribs and who is a frequent visitor of places like Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples, the Mecca of Neapolitan crib-makers.

In the second section various original small cribs made by several crib-lovers including some well-known among the local crib-making fraternity, will be on show.

The third and new section is the cherry on the cake. It depicts several scenes from the Maltese old way of life, depicted with live enactments by the St. Philip Pageant Group dressed in traditional Maltese costumes. It is the first Maltese live crib of this type and should go down well with crib lovers for its originality and setting. The participants will be dressed in traditional common Maltese costumes of old rather than the usual biblical ones and instead of staying static at their place they will be acting their roles. Several typical characters from old Maltese society are included such as the lighter of street-lamps, the baker, the folk-singer, the women at the washing-place, the men at the old wine-bars, the sellers and the buyers
and St. George Preca with the Muzew children . They will be reviving the way Christmas used to be celebrated in Malta in the old days. The central part will naturally be the grotto where a woman representing Malta is joined by representatives of the last three kingdoms that ruled Malta in adoring the new-born Jesus.

St. Francis of Assisi and St. George Preca of Malta both had special devotion to Christmas and encouraged crib-making among other manifestations of their love towards Jesus. Now, appropriately they each find a place inside this live crib re-enactment to be seen in St. Philip Band Club this Christmas.

These representations follow a schedule and take place inside rock-hewn underground rooms that more than 65 years ago served to shelter our ancestors from bombs. Visitors enter in small groups at short intervals of time and will be guided by two ladies as they move from one scene to another as in a walk-through exhibition. This is a new and original way of presenting the Christmas event.

The venue of this exhibition can easily be reached by bus number 88 as it is right in the centre of Zebbug: in St. Philip Square.
Opening hrs – Monday to Saturday ( 18 Dec 2008 to 4 Jan 2009) from 17:00 to
21:00 – Sundays and Public Holidays: 10:00 to 12:30 and 17:00 to 21:00.