A Village Comes Alive

Photos by Rene Rossignaud

Kercem’s peaceful streets and old village core will soon rub the winter sleep from their eyes for the Sagra ta’ San Girgor, a three-day festival of culture, music and traditions centering around the village feast of St Gregory between 6-8 March.

On Friday 6 March, highlights from the programme include bandu re-enactments, a Giuseppe Briffa exhibition and folk dancing as well as several activities for children. Other activities will include the setting-up of various exhibitions by village organisations, traditional crafts and people dressed up in traditional costumes. Various bakeries around the village will also be serving food and traditional Gozitan ftiras. The evening will end with a “Sixties, Country and Folk night”, with Freddie Portelli, Greenfields, ghannejja and the Menhir Folk Group. The event will be presented by John Muscat, il-Cowboy.
Saturday will begin with a Kercem guided tour which will leave from Lunzjata valley and visit various places of interest in Kercem; other highlights on this day include sport tournaments, a fjakkolata through the streets of Kercem and a band march. The evening will end with “Back to the Oldies”, with Claudia Faniello, Aldo Busuttil, Miriam Christine, Fabrizio Faniello and Rebecca Debattista, accompanied by the Philip Vella Band. The evening will be presented by Joe id-Dulli and Veronica Farrugia. Also on Saturday night, a Festa Spectacular will be held with the participation of various dance companies, young local performers and Cangura folk group. The event will be presented by Frank & Ron.

On Sunday, the main highlight will be the traditional meal under the tent in the village square; the Astra Folk Group will also provide entertainment. In the afternoon, the festival will end with a solemn procession and band march, bringing festival and feast celebrations to a close.

“So this festival has two aims,” explains Kercem mayor Joseph Grima. “The first is to attract internal tourism at a time considered off-peak,” he says. “The second is to revive the popularity of the winter feast and celebrate St Gregory in style.”

The village core of Kercem in Gozo will soon provide the setting for the Sagra ta’ San Girgor, a three-day festival of culture, music and traditions centering around the feast of St Gregory

Three stages will be set up, including a large tent in the square in case of bad weather. Bearing the festival’s religious links, the programme of the Sagra ta’ San Girgor has been carefully planned out to wind around the church celebrations.

One of Gozo’s most peaceful and ancient villages, Kercem is also one of its largest in geographical terms although its population is only around 1,800. Stretching from Victoria’s eastern flank all the way to the edges of San Lawrenz – and comprising the hamlet of Santa Lucija – the area includes some of Gozo’s oldest archaeological remains and richest countryside. From the Ghadira ta’ San Raflu to Lunzjata Valley, from the remains of Ghar Gherduf to Mixta Hill, the area is unchallenged for the beauty of its countryside and the wealth of its archaeological remains.