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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 DECEMBER 2022 4 CHRISTMAS A traditional Maltese Christmas MALTA is dotted with cus- toms, celebrations, and nuanc- es despite its microscopic size. Like every other country, Mal- ta celebrates throughout this festive season in accordance with its distinct traditions and practices. In fact, Christmas is a widely celebrated holiday in Malta due to both its social and religious significance. While Christmas, or "Il-Milied" as it is known in Malta, is celebrated on December 25, preparations start weeks before the custom- ary date. Thus, here at OhMy- Malta, to make you feel right at home, we are going to guide you on how to truly celebrate Christmas like the Maltese. 1. The Navity Crib (Il-Presepju) Christmas cribs ( ' I l - p r e s e s p j u ) were initially im- ported to Malta from Italy by wealthy noble- men. The first real Maltese crib is said to have been made in in 1617 and installed at the Domen- ican Friars Church in Rabat. A crib from 1670 is located at Mdina's St. Peter's Monastery. This is cared for by the Benedic- tine sisters of the monastery. As cribs gained popularity, locals began to replace buildings and craftsmen, giving them a more "Maltese" appearance. The earliest imported Italian statuettes (pasturi in Maltese) were so expensive that most people couldn't even afford them. People then started mak- ing their own "pasturi" out of rough clay and plaster. Interestingly, every family has a unique crib that reflects their individual tastes. A Christmas crib often includes statuettes of the newborn Jesus, Mary, Jo- seph, the shepherds, the Three Wise Men, angels, a donkey, a cow, and every other person who was there when Christ was born. The sculptures, which occasionally include precious relics, are taken out of storage, thoroughly cleaned, and then placed in a visible location in- side the house. Il-Presepju are commonly built out of paper and wood or with earthy stones called "gag- azza" taken from the Maltese countryside. About 200 cribs of all different sizes and forms are always on exhibit through- out the islands throughout the Christmas season. 2. Midnight Mass and 'il-Priedka tat-Tifel' It is deemed as tradition- al in Mal- ta to go to M i d n i g h t Mass after the Christmas Eve dinner with the family. The Sermon of the Child (Il-Priedka tat-Tifel), which has been a Christmas tra- dition in Malta since 1883, is the oldest and most famous tradi- tion. Typically, a young kid, usu- ally between the ages of 7 and 10, who is standing at the main altar, gives the sermon instead of the priest. Instead, the young child recounts the story of the Nativity. Four young children circle the community singing Christmas songs while holding lanterns and a figure of the newborn Je- sus in their arms. George Sapi- ano delivered the first recorded Christmas Eve sermon by an al- tar boy at Luqa's parish church in 1883. The little pageant re- counting the tale of the Nativity is regularly performed by local churches, complete with shep- herd costumes for the children, Joseph and Mary cradling a ba- by doll (representing Jesus), and other decorations. During this hour, "Ninni la tibkix iż jed," a well-known Maltese carol, is sung across the whole island. Its literal translation is "sleep and weep no more," and it was written by the Luqa-born Jesu- it priest Fr. Andrew Schembri (1774–1862) for Maltese immi- grants in Tunis. 3. The Vetches (Gulbiena) In November and December, Malta and Gozo produce vetch- es (ġulbiena), a kind of wheat, grain, or even canary seeds, for decoration. You may see this white, hairy bush in all kinds of places—on altars, beside cra- dles, and around the statue of baby Jesus. Before Christmas, the seeds are sown on cot- ton wool and grown for around five weeks in the dark. The seeds are maintained in the corners of the home until white, stringy stems emerge. They are given water every day, and on Christmas Eve, they are pre- pared for adulation. As a part of their Christmas tradi- tion, the locals wrap their cribs with rubbery, noodle-like plants. The custom has reportedly been practised for generations, and when other Christmas dec- orations were in short supply, local farmers planted ġulbiena to compensate the scarcity. The origins of this particular tra- dition are unknown, although they may have something to do with a Greek tradition that makes reference to The Garden of Adonis. 4. Traditional Christmas Food Food plays a big part in Mal- tese Christmas traditions. What might others think is a small gathering between family mem- bers, Maltese use Christmas as another excuse to throw a par- ty in the kitchen. While it is not uncommon for families to go out for lunch or dinner for Christmas, the majority of the locals organise a get togeth- er, with over 20 people around the dinner table and enough food to feed a whole family for a week. Traditional foods include the Christmas cake and the well-known Christmas log. Dur- ing their colony of the Maltese Islands from 1814 until 1964, the British brought the latter to Malta. The Christmas log is ba- sically a very Christmassy com- bination made up of sultanas, raisins, currants, dates, cherries, brandy, and. Although the 'Buche de Nöel', or Christmas log, was invented in France, it has become a tra- dition in many countries. The Maltese Christmas log is often made for Christmas and eat- en all day. Ingredients include chunks of chocolate, cherries, almonds, cookies, and a little dash of alcohol for flavour. The Maltese Christmas log is rela- tively similar to the chocolate salami in Portugal and Italy. Other popular Christmas treats in Malta are the trea- cle rings (Qagħqa tal-Għasel), which are wonderful pastry rings filled with a treacle fill- ing and 'Imbuljuta tal-Qastan', a traditional Maltese beverage, created with hot chestnut and chocolate. Like every other country, Malta celebrates throughout this festive season in accordance with its distinct traditions and practices. Here's a guide on how you can celbrate Chrismtas like the Maltese