San Girgor feast
Deeply rooted in Malta's history, the feast of San Girgor has been a popular traditional event since the 1500s. The event, which according 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 Wednesday after Easter Sunday and originally 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 somewhat shorter and starts from the chapel of St Clement in Żejtun. From there, participants – accompanied by the archbishop and the Metropolitan Chapter, the Archpriest, the clergy, and the Archconfraternity of St Joseph of Rabat - go to the Żejtun parish church where the Miserere is sung.
The pilgrimage then continues to Żejtun's old parish church, popularly 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 accompany 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 animaldrawn 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 afternoon, 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. It will surely be an interesting afternoon, which can be enjoyed by Maltese families and foreigners alike.
An event which will continue to strengthen our folk traditions, deeply-rooted in history while at the same time keeping them alive and relevant to today's society. This event is organised by Arts Council Malta in collaboration with the Zejtun Local Council and the Marsaxlokk Local Council.