STEPHANIA GELLEL

Putullu & Stephania Carnival Company

The structure that we usually have for Carnival remained the same, but on a much smaller scale. Those in the Triumphal floats category will be making small floats, while Carnival companies like us will be creating a couple of costumes to be exhibited on television and online.

After participating in so many competitions and festivities, it is tough to face the silence of this typically chaotic period. We do not have that many people working at the workshop, just my partner and I and a handful of helpers, and the work is nowhere close to that which we usually collectively put in to create a full-sized float and costumes for all our dancers.

We have to limit the number of people that can go down to the workshop at once and we divide ourselves across different areas of the workshop. The connection and sense of community we had during these times are definitely not the same because of this. We are just letting ourselves get lost in the memories of previous years, sharing photos of past Carnivals together.

This year, we did not even ask for our sponsors’ help seeing the state that the economy is in and we will only be working with the funds that Festivals Malta gave us for this project.

Our company currently has no plans for the Carnival in summer. We must take it step by step as it is useless to spend time and money on a float which we cannot even use afterwards. However, we always participate in it so if we are told that the event will take place, we would not pass up the opportunity for sure.

The same goes for 2022, we lack manpower at the moment so there are no preparations, but I think it will be a huge event after having been deprived of it for an entire year.

There might be people who cut themselves off from Carnival after this year, but I think that anyone who holds it dear to their heart will look forward for next year.