The run-up to Easter consists of three days (the triduum) which are as rich in tradition as they are in their spiritual significance, especially in Malta where we go that extra mile to celebrate Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in a very tangible, colourful and traditionally Maltese way. To do this, we have drawn from other old, European traditions and turned our celebrations into something uniquely Maltese.
Maundy Thursday - Ħamis ix-Xirka
Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos.
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
The first day of the triduum leading up to Easter is Maundy Thursday or Ħamis ix-Xirka. The word Maundy is derived from the word mandatum (a command). This, therefore, is the day of a "new commandment" - given to us by Christ, a commandment which He explains, and demonstrates the significance of, while He washes the feet of His apostles on the occasion of the Last Supper:
" A new commandment I give unto you: that you love one another as I have loved you."
In Maltese, the word xirka means pact - and Ħamis ix-Xirka is seen as the day when a new pact with Christ is celebrated.
These are the functions, representations and pilgrimages which take place in Malta, on Maundy Thursday/ Ħamis ix-Xirka:
1. The blessing of all oils to be used during the giving of various sacraments during the coming year.
2. A representation of the washing of the Apostles' feet by Jesus Christ.
3. The placing of the Holy Eucharist in the tabernacle (pyx) of the Altars of Repose/Sepulkri, and the devesting of all other altars in the church.
4. The pilgrimage known as Is-Seba' Visti begins in the evening.
5. The opening of the Mwejjed tal-Appostli for viewing by the public.
Blessing of Oils
The Blessing of Oils takes place in a special Mass (the Chrism Mass) , usually celebrated by the Bishop in the Cathedral. These are the oils which will be used in the coming year for special religious services, including baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, and for anointing the dying and those in ill health. The blessing of holy oils on Maundy Thursday finds its origin as far back as the fifth century.
The Washing of Feet
This tradition is said to have originated in the 7th century AD, but is obviously based on what Christ Himself did during the Last Supper, when He washed His apostle's feet. Nowadays this is commemorated during the evening mass on Maundy Thursday, where the celebrant/s wash the feet of laymen in the congregation. In some congregations, twelve young men are chosen, who sit round the altar and represent the twelve apostles. In Malta this is done in all parishes and is an integral part of theĦamis ix-Xirka celebrations.
This ceremony is carried out very widely within the Christian world and by all Christian denominations, including the Orthodox Church. In the past, the kings and queens of Europe washed the feet of their poor subjects on Maundy Thursday, and there are sketches of Queen Elizabeth I doing this in commemoration of the day. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have washed the feet of the same number of beggars, every year, as she had had birthdays until then.
The Pope, too, washes the feet of his co-celebrants - at St. Peter's in Rome - as a symbol of humility, and as a commemoration of Christ's doing so.
The Altar of Repose/ Is-Sepulkru and the Seven Visits
After Mass and the ceremony of the washing of the feet, on Maundy Thursday evening, the Holy Eucharist is taken, in a procession, to the tabernacle (or pyx) of theSepulkru or the Altar of Repose. All the other altars in the church, including the main altar are now devested of any decorations and table coverings and laid bare. TheSepulkru is decorated with white flowers and blossoms, a multitude of candles and also plates of white, fluffy ġulbiena.
Sepulkru at Ta' Ġieżu Church, Valletta
The wood-work making up the bases of these altars of repose are usually very old - especially the ones in the older Churches like Bormla, L-Isla and Birgu, and many of those in Valletta. For example, the Sepulkru which is built every year in Bormla is said to date back to 1827, and there are certainly those which are even older than this, like the one which is set up in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mdina, which dates back to the 1700s. Besides being antiques in their own right, they are also very decorative and elaborate and look beautiful very heavily decorated with flowers and candles too.
The Altar of Repose is not only found in Catholic Churches world-wide, but also in Anglican and some Lutheran churches. It is also - importantly - not meant to represent Christ's tomb, but an alternative repository for the Holy Eucharist during the time when the Church is remembering the passion and the death of Christ. This makes the Maltese word sepulkru, when refering to this altar, a bit of a misnomer.
Once the Holy Eucharist has been transferred to the Sepulkru, the Seba Visti begin. Here, whole families make a pilgrimage of seven churches, reciting special prayers and thoughts in front of the Holy Eucharist. This tradition is thought to have its origin in Rome - even dating back as early as 1300, and it is thought to have been put in place by Pope Boniface VIII - when ancient pilgrims to the Holy City were to visit seven obligatory churches: St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, San Paolo Fuori Le Mura,San Giovanni in Laterano, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, San Sebastiano fuori le Mura, and Santa Croce in Gerusalemme). A more recent addition is the Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore which was added by Pope John Paul II for the 2000 Jubilee celebration, and replacing San Sebastiano fuori le Mura.
Hence, these are the origins of the traditional seven visits. In Malta the visits start on Maundy Thursday evening and continue until Good Friday at noon. During the visits to the seven churches people usually also drop in to visit the various mwejjed tal-appostli and exhibitions of miniature vari (religious statues or tableaux) which are prepared by many enthusiasts in a large nubers of villages in Malta and Gozo.
A number of vigils are kept during the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, during which prayers are said and reflections on Christ's passion made.
Good Friday - Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira
Pater in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum.
The Ċuqlajta
On Maundy Thursday, the Church bells stop ringing as a sign of mourning (they will recommence on Easter Sunday) and the iċ-ċuqlajta (clapper or ratchet) takes over - especially on Good Friday morning. Its particular sound - which is that of its wooden paddles banging together - can be heard when one is doing one's seven visits, most especially in old villages like Żebbuġ, B'Kara and Żejtun. Some of these instruments are played - the larger ones - in the belfry and others, which are smaller and hand-held, directly in the church. There are about forty of the larger instruments in Malta, both electrically-driven and manual types ... and more in Gozo.
The use of clappers at this time of the year is an old custom from the middle ages and, according to Anna Borg Cardona, it is not something which was used only in Malta. In any case, the"cokklaita" is mentioned by Agius de Soldanis in his dictionary of 1759, and later descriptions by travellers to Malta (in the 19th century) mention its use during the Good Friday processions and other functions and pilgrimages.
In Spain the clapper is still used during the three days leading up to Easter.
Mwejjed tal-Appostli and other Related Exhibitions
These are open for public viewing during the pilgrimages to the seven churches, on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and represent the table laid for Christ and his apostles on which they celebrated the Passover and Christ's last supper. Most of theimwejjed are said to be laid according to the Jewish rite - they would therefore include things like earthenware plates and chalices, and also large earthenware containers for wine and water. Other obligatory items include what is are as the Passover Seder plate and Eliah's Chalice, which is full of wine and usually placed at one end of the table. A menorah (a traditional Jewish candlestick with place for seven candles) and atorah (a scroll containing the first five books of the Bible) are usually also found on the table.
A collage of items on show during Easter Week
Important foods which are found on the mejda tal-appostli include foods like haroshet(a sauce made with apples, almonds, walnuts, dates and other ingredients), maror (a dish of bitter herbs eaten at the Passover and usually made with horseradish, lettuce and endive, which represents the bitterness of the Jewish people's period of slavery in Egypt), hard boiled eggs, grilled lamb, unleavened bread, wine and promegranates - which are considered to be a holy fruit by the Jewish people.
Other colourful items found on these tables are plates in which coloured rice - and sometimes pasta - form the most intricate and interesting patterns. Sometimes the patterns represent each and every one of the apostles. They must take lots of patience and time to make and are probably a purely Maltese tradition, and relatively recent. Sometimes the same thing is done with salt, which allows for - in my opinion - a more intricate design.
Good Friday Processions
The highlight of Good Friday in Malta and Gozo is, without a doubt, the chance to revel in the pageantry and the catch a glimpse, once more, of the life-size tableaux (vari) as they make their slow and heavy way through the streets of Malta's villages, accompanied by bands playing funerary marches. These Good Friday processions are watched by thousands every year, and the streets through which the processions pass are jam-packed, year after year, with both Maltese people and tourists intent on soaking up the atmosphere.
Some shots from Good Friday processions in Malta and Gozo
The traditions of holding Good Friday processions obviously goes back to the time when the Knights of Malta ruled over the islands, and the oldest vari hark from the 18th century. As very simlar processions are held - on Good Friday - in Spain, it is quite possible that the tradition was brought over to Malta by Knights from Castille and Aragon, and that the whole thing took on a more Maltese flavour as time passed. The fact that similar processions are also held even in South America, where there is a Spanish-speaking population, points to the fact that the original tradition originated in Spain.
The statues making up the life-size tableaux are mainly made of what is known, in Maltese, of kartapesta. But others, like Melchiorre Gafa` (1635 -1667), usually worked in wood which preceded kartapesta. The first sculptors who learnt the art of producing these beautiful statues in kartapesta, many time, learnt their craft abroad or from foreign artisans. Saverio Laferla (1710 - 1761) is thought to be the first maker of vari, in fact, who used this medium, and is thought to have learnt the art from a Sicilian sculptor who worked on Malta.
Laferla made vari for the Confraternity of the Holy Cross in Valletta, for the parish church of Haż-Żebbbug, and also for Naxxar. As time and years passed, the various parishes gradually added onto their collection of vari and so there have been many master artisans who provided the parishes with these works of art along the years. These include Antonio Mifsud (1760 - 1830), Alessandro Farrugia (1791 - 1871), Salvatore Psaila (1789 - 1871) who also executed the statue of St Helen for the Basilica of B'Kara, Pietro Pawl Azzopardi (1791 - 1875), Giuseppe Vella (1801 - 1866), Salvatore Dimech (1805 - 1887), Giovanni and Karlu Darmanin and Vincenzo Cremona (1851 - 1912).
Luckily we can still see the work of all these sculptors, till this very day, during the yearly processions. Good Friday processions are held - in Malta - in Rabat, Valletta, Birgu, L-Isla, Bormla, Żejtun, Ħaż-Żebbuġ, Naxxar, Ħal Qormi, Ħal Għargħur, Ħal Luqa and Ħal Għaxaq. In Gozo, they are held by the two parishes in Rabat, Nadur, Xagħra, Żebbuġ, Xewkija and Qala.
Sources:
Altar of Repose - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altar_of_Repose
Chrism Mass by Paul Turner - http://www.rpinet.com/ml/2403bi1.html
Easter Triduum - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Triduum
Ġimgħa l-Kbira, Valletta - http://www.freewebs.com/gimghalkbiravalletta/
Ġimgħa l-Kbira, Xagħra -http://www.xaghraparish.org/pasteventsv3/Randan%202008/21%20MAR%2008%20-%20GOOD%20FRIDAY%20PROCESSION/
Grinding Judas' Bones by Anna Borg Cardona http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=49034
Holy Week in Gozo by Rev Dr. Joseph Bezzina - http://www.aboutmalta.com/gozo/fridbezzina.html
Holy Week Malta - http://holyweekmalta.weebly.com/medja-tal-appostli.html
Iċ-ċuqlajta - http://gimghakbiramalta.webs.com/iccuqlajta.htm
Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira f'Bormla - http://www.freewebs.com/gfbormla/sepulkru.htm
Il-Ġimgħa l-Kbira f'Malta - http://www.freewebs.com/gimghakbiramalta/
Il-Qniepen u l-Ġimgħa l-Kbira by Guido Lanfranco -http://www.goodfridaymalta.com/qniepengimghamqaddsa.htm
Maror - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maror
Maundy Thursday - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday
Mejda tal-Appostli - http://holyweekmalta.weebly.com/medja-tal-appostli.html
Mejda tal-Appostli, Mellieha - http://www.mejda-appostlimellieha.com/storja.html
Platti tar-Ross u l-Melħ -http://www.holyweekmalta.com/dingli/ghaqda_muzikali/ghaqda_muzikali.html
Sculptors - http://www.goodfridaymalta.com/statwarji.htm
Vari - Il-Vari tal-Ġimgħa l-Kbira f'Malta - http://www.goodfridaymalta.com/englishversion.htm
Thanks:
Sincere thanks go to Manuel for proof-reading.
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