Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/811845
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 APRIL 2017 39 This Week Celebrating Jum San Girgor on Wednesday DEEPLY rooted in Malta's history, the feast of San Girgor has been a popular traditional event since the 1500s. The event, which accord- ing to popular belief is related to a general vow by the public on their deliverance from the plague, goes back to 1543 but may have started as early as 1519. The popular event is celebrated on the first Wednes- day after Easter Sunday and origi- nally consisted of a pilgrimage by confraternities from all Maltese parishes starting from Mdina and ending with a religious ceremony at the Żejtun parish church. Today, the pilgrimage is some- what shorter and starts from the chapel of St Clement in Żejtun. From there, participants – ac- companied by the archbishop and the metropolitan chapter, the archpriest, the clergy, and the Archconfraternity of St Joseph of Rabat – go to the Żejtun par- ish church where the miserere is sung. The pilgrimage then contin- ues to Żejtun's old parish, popu- larly known as San Girgor, where mass is said with the participation of all present. After the religious function, the crowd makes its way to Marsaxlokk to relax and enjoy the rest of the day with traditional music and għana, food, and – for brave ones – their first swim. In its drive to encourage and strengthen the traditional and folk elements of this feast, the Festivals Directorate within Arts Council Malta will be supporting the event. This year, In Guardia re-enactors will take on the role of knights from the Order of St John and will ac- company the procession to the old parish church, San Girgor. Along the way, artisans will be working on their particular traditional crafts. After mass, a group of għannejja and musicians will entertain the crowd with short traditional songs. They will then get on two animal-drawn carts prepared for the occasion and make their way to Marsaxlokk, following the old route to the fishing village. At Marsaxlokk, two platforms will be set up where, throughout the af- ternoon, a folk programme which will include two of the main types of traditional għana – daqq tal- prejjem and botta u risposta – will be held. Nearby, there will also be a number of stalls with traditional crafts such as the loom, filigree, pottery, cane work, glass and lace. The event is organised by Arts Council Malta in collaboration with the Zejtun Local Coun- cil and the Marsaxlokk Local Council. For more information, call Arts Council Malta on 2339 7000 or log on to www.għanafest. com Wednesday April 19 – Zejtun and Marsaxlokk Bay 09:45 Pilgrimage from the chapel of St Clement towards St Catherine's parish church where the miserere will be sung. Mons. archbishop will be leading the pilgrimage, together with the metropolitan chapter, the archpriest, the clergy and the Archconfraternity of St Joseph of Mdina at Rabat. From St Catherine's parish church the pilgrimage will continue to the old parish church known as St Gregory's church. In Guardia will take its position next to the cross on the side of the parish church and, from there, will accompany the pilgrimage towards St Gregory's church. In Guardia will be mostly representing the religious section of the Order of St John. Artisans will be working on several traditional crafts along the route. 10:30 Mass at St Gregory's church with the participation of all present. 10:45 Għannejja Joe Aguis (tas- seba' rġiel) and Anġlu Theuma (il-kina), guitarists Johnny Saliba (ta' Birżebbuġa) and Victor Grech (iż-Żabbari), two animal-drawn carts and In Guardia will take their place on the parvis of St Gregory's church. Maltese traditional games such as passju, żibeġ and boċċi will be played on the parvis of St Gregory's church. 11:00 After mass, a press conference regarding Għanafest will be held on the parvis of St Gregory's church. 11:20 Għana and Daqq tal- Prejjem on the parvis of St Gregory's church. 11:30 Għannejja and musicians will start their journey to Marsaxlokk on animal-drawn carts. Midday Animal-drawn carts with għannejja and musicians arrive at Marsaxlokk, passing through the promenade. Stage at the centre of the promenade 12:15 Daqq tal-Prejjem Guitarists: Group 1 12:25 Għana Botta u Risposta Għannejja: Group 1 1:10 Frank O'Neill 1:40 Daqq tal-Prejjem Guitarists: Group 2 1:50 Għana Botta u Risposta Għannejja: Group 2 2:30 Makkjetti Michael Birgnioni (il-ġurdien) 2:40 The Green elds 3:05 Daqq tal-Prejjem Guitarists: Group 3 3:15 Għana Botta u Risposta Għannejja: Group 3 4:00 Closure Stage at the end of the promenade, further up from the convent where għana used to be sung spontaneously 12:30 Daqq tal-Prejjem Guitarists: Group 3 12:40 Għana Botta u Risposta Għannejja: Group 3 1:20 The Green elds 1:45 Daqq tal-Prejjem Guitarists: Group 1 2:00 Għana Botta u Risposta Għannejja: Group 1 2:45 Frank O'Neill 3:15 Daqq tal-Prejjem Guitarists: Group 2 3:25 Għana Botta u Risposta Għannejja: Group 2 4:05 Makkjetti Michael Birgnioni (il- ġurdien) 4:15 Closure Groups of għannejja and musicians Group 1 Guitarists: Johnny Saliba (ta' Birżebbuġa), Victor Grech (iż- Żabbari) Għannejja: Joe Agius (tas-seba' rġiel), Anġlu Theuma (il-kina), Anthony Coleiro (kulajru) and Alfred Desira (l-Indjan) Group 2 Guitarists: Reuben Schembri (il- fusinu), (it-tfajjel tad-danny) and Vince Carabott (il-bukku) Għannejja: Żeppi Ellul (iż- Żebbuġi), Żaren Ellul (ta' fellusu), Kalċidon Vella (id-danny) and Mario Xuereb (ta' Gerald) Group 3 Guitarists: alcidon Vella (ta' mustaċċa), Joe Bonello (skuti) Għannejja: Manwel Ellul (il- beġiġ), Fredu Abela (iż-Żejtuni), Joe Busuttil (il-bużu) and Anthony Carl Cutajar (il-pikkolin) PROGRAMME FOR JUM SAN GIRGOR 2017 The popular event is celebrated on the first Wednesday after Easter Sunday and originally consisted of a pilgrimage by confraternities from all Maltese parishes THE 2017 Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union is announcing a workshop with BandAdriatica in collabora- tion with the Malta World Music Festival. Sessions are open to Maltese singers/songwriters and musi- cians who perform within the genre of folk and in the Maltese language, folk bands and band clubs. BandAdriatica's research and creative process is based on a local element wherever they work. The workshop will be taking place at Fortress Builders, Vallet- ta on May 17 and 18, from 18:00 until 21:00. The participants will collabo- rate with BandAdriatica and will present their material on May 20 during BandAdriatica's perfor- mance. Applications will close April 28 at 12:00. Places are limited and are subject to evaluation and se- lection by the artistic director, Renzo Spiteri. Interested applicants have to send a one-page CV and online links of their works on ruben. balzan@artscouncilmalta.org or deliver their CV and samples of their work by hand in a sealed envelope marked 'MWMF + Ban- dAdriatica's Floating Art Work- shop' to Arts Council Malta at 16 Casa Scaglia, Mikiel Anton Vas- salli Street, Valletta. Participants will be informed if they are accepted for the work- shop once the evaluation process has been concluded. Applications open for BandAdriatica's Floating Art Project Workshop BandAdriatica. Photo by Giuseppe Rutigliano