Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/809226
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 APRIL 2017 16 Holy Week The passion of PAUL COCKS I stepped into the Juve bar in Zej- tun, not knowing what to expect, but what I found was definitely not it. On the walls, there were no pic- tures of football players or some other inane subject; instead there were framed blueprints of wood etchings and scores of photos of Good Friday processions. I had mentioned to my brother- in-law that I was preparing an article on the participation of vol- unteers in Good Friday celebra- tions and how far some of them were willing to go in pursuit of their passion, and he immediately pointed me to this small bar in the Zejtun square. "You have to speak to Frankie about our village," he said. "We take Good Friday seriously in Ze- jtun." I thought 'What could be so spe- cial?' But my brother-in-law had never guided me wrong before, so there I was, stepping into the small bar and immediately spotted by the man behind the bar. "You must be the guy from the newspaper," he said, extending his hand. We shook hands and I told him why I was there. And so I came to learn his story and that of the four or five other men present in the bar. Because Frankie Delia, I learned, did not merely celebrate Good Fri- day, he lived it all year round. And like so many other people I met while researching this article, he went to great lengths and spent a lot of money on what he considers to be the number one focus of his life. But this, this was different. Be- cause in Zejtun, people actually own the very Good Friday statues that are exhibited in church and car- ried in the procession. Or rather, as Frankie told me, they owned the poles. That's right, the poles used to carry the statues – four, five or six men abreast, depending on the size of the statue – belong to a number of Zejtun families and are passed on from one generation to another. In Frankie's case, I learned that he owns the front four poles used to carry the Jesus and Judas statue. "This statue was built in 1961 in Lecce by Angelo Capoccia on a commission paid for by my father, Lorry Delia, known as il-Popeye, and Leli Tabone," he said. "They paid Lm230 for it back then." In essence, that statue was theirs, even if it was enjoyed by the whole parish. And Frankie inherited his father's 'share', his poles, and he says they mean the world to him. "Basically, having four out of eight poles, means I get to choose three other men to join me carry the statue every year," he said. But of course, it also means he's responsible for half the expenses incurred in the care, upkeep, maintenance and embellishment of the statue. And this is where things become odd, because Frankie and the oth- er pole owners in Zejtun are actu- ally responsible for everything to do with their statues. I learned that Frankie is the procurator for the statue of Jesus and Judas. "That means I am the go-be- tween between the parish and the other pole owners on my statue," he said. "Anything to do with the statue of Jesus and Judas, I speak on behalf of the other owners." Frankie told me that the owners had changed the statue's cradle, the 'bradella', in 2014. That by itself cost €32,000 and Frankie, owner of half of the stat- ue's poles, had to dole out €16,000 as his share. But he did it willingly. "Of course I would pay that and more for our statue," he told me. "There are many expenses in- volved but we are prepared to do anything to maintain our statue in the best possible condition." The men around me were proud of the work, and it showed in their enthusiasm as they explained that the new cradle was built by a local, Vince Abela, with silverwork by the renowned Tarcisio, or Cizju. €16,000. That's what I paid for a brand new car eight months ago, I tell him. His answer: "So maybe you like cars. Me, I love Good Friday." And that's what it comes down to. There have also been other con- siderable expenses, such as com- missioning new silver 'forcini' in the shape of a purse, that is the symbol associated with Judas PAUL COCKS goes on a personal journey to meet the amateurs behind the Holy Week pageantry From left: Dennis Spiteri, Joe Zarb, Bertu Zarb, and Leli Baldacchino