Colours of an Island

Photo by Paul Camilleri

The statue of Our Lady, carried shoulder high, is hardly visible through the smoke from the sparklers, lighting up the night sky and the faces of the people holding them. For a moment, the crowd seems to come together, all eyes focused on the statue making its slow way through the streets of the Gozitan capital.

Coming with the force of a cultural phenomenon, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin – or Santa Marija – is celebrated in the Gozitan capital on 15 August. Feasts in Malta and Gozo are never a light affair and Santa Marija – also celebrated in six villages across the main island – is no exception. Involving months of preparation and the efforts of hundreds
of volunteers, the feast has deep religious, cultural and, increasingly, economic ties with the island.

Celebrations are ambitious, with events spanning music, sports, folklore, religion and fireworks. From a few days prior to the feast day, the streets are filled with band marches, held by local band groups, often accompanied by stunning fireworks displays. On the feast day proper, celebrations include a Pontifical High Mass at the Cathedral as well as a festive
midday march through the narrow winding roads of Victoria.

One of the festa’s most exciting aspects are the Santa Marija horse races – among the oldest on the islands – drawing large crowds which gather on the pavements along the sides of the capital’s main road as powerful horses pound their way furiously up the hill, their hoofs kicking up sparks along the way.

At the feast’s emotional and religious core is the procession, held on the feast day at 19.00. The Santa Marija statue emerges from the Cathedral door, as the Leone Band, accompanied by soloists and choirs, performs a rendition of the grande cantata, a moment of great emotional significance. The procession, led by the Bishop of Gozo, goes through the capital’s streets while other bands perform in nearby squares and aerial fireworks displays are let off.

The evening comes to an end when the procession makes its way back up Citadel Hill and a final burst of fireworks is let off as crowds gather around the square to accompany the solemn entrance of the Santa Marija statue back inside the Cathedral. Now that the mid-summer feast is past, soon it will be time for the first rains, calming the sun’s fierceness and marking the slow approach of autumn.