The education curriculum assumes that all Maltese children are native English and Maltese speakers

Malta has two official languages: English and Maltese. Thousands of Maltese children are being brought up in families where English is not spoken regularly. We have also thousands of children living on these islands whose first language is not Maltese. Although we are officially a bilingual society Maltese and English are taught in our schools as if these are two native languages that our children acquire automatically through schooling and socialization.

We have a one-size-fits-all language policy for all our children and schools. This has not worked as on average only 56% of our students walk away with passes in the Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) in English Language and Maltese. At least 44% of our fifth formers still do not manage to become competent in English Language and Maltese after at least 12 years of schooling. SEC and Junior Lyceum examiners still refer to poor spelling, weak grasp of grammar and syntax, poor reading habits and lack of imagination and creativity in their year reports on students’ performance in English Language and Maltese SEC and Junior Lyceum examinations.

To change all this we need to design appropriate curricula, examinations, syllabi, content and pedagogical methods in the teaching and learning of English and Maltese.

The Maltese SEC and MATSEC examination needs to be split into two different papers: a language component and another in literature. Our students should be given the option to choose one of these papers and a pass in the Maltese Language SEC and MATSEC exam should be enough to qualify them for a course at the University of Malta. Steps should be taken to modernise the teaching of Maltese and choose content that is more relevant to the young people going through their education now.

Forcing thousands of our teenagers to do a Maltese SEC syllabus that is closer to a pre-industrial Malta 80 years ago than to their daily life makes them hate Maltese literature and gives them the sensation that Maltese is a strange and remote language.

We have very good writers who are creating literature that is very relevant for young people growing up today but this literature is kept away from our schools.

Teaching material and methods have been developed to help foreigners learn Maltese but our schools do not make any use of these experiences. The same goes for the teaching of English where the success we have achieved in teaching the language to over a million foreigners has not been transferred to our schools to teach our own youngsters.

We should use the know-how and experience we have built in the sector of the teaching of English as a foreign language to improve the teaching of Maltese and English in our primary and secondary schools.

Share this

Losing sight of the coast is necessary, sometimes.

Evarist Bartolo, Shadow Minister for Education and a lecturer in communications at the University of Malta, writes about the need for critical distance. And the need to sail away from our comfort zone.

Most of us Maltese know very little about the Maltese Islands.

We do not know much about these islands because of the way we have been brought up to look at our past. Most of us look at our past with a set of ideas and assumptions immersed in myths, legends and mostly lack of information that give us a poor picture of ourselves and our ancestors: that we have always been Catholic and nothing but Catholic since St Paul converted us nearly 2000 years ago. This way of thinking about our country and us is such a poor caricature of our rich past and identity! We need to discover our past and ourselves.

But to do that we must stop hugging the old familiar coast we know. We must sail forth … away from the comfort zone we have created. It will be worthwhile as the Maltese Islands we will discover, will equip us to feel more at home in the diverse, borderless and multicultural world of the 21st century.

If we explore our past with new eyes we will discover what a multicultural and diverse identity we have: that we were Muslim centuries ago; that several Maltese were persecuted, even burnt at the stake, for spreading Lutheranism in Malta; that perhaps for centuries these islands had no people living in them and we are a nation of immigrants; that we have Maltese and Gozitans living in every corner of the globe and we have many amongst us whose ancestors come from many different countries with a diversity of cultures and religions and that even three centuries ago you could walk up Valletta’s main street and hear people talking to each other in many different languages.

As Andre`Gide says: “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore.” Are we ready for it? We now have enough serious historians who have researched and discovered our past but their work has still not reached our schools and media and so we still look at our country and ourselves with the same old eyes.

Photo: Aron Mifsud Bonnici

Share this

No way we're opening for the next two weeks!

Anyone who has holidayed in continental Europe in August, especially in cities, will know that many bars and restaurants are shut, sporting notices such as ‘Ferie’ or ‘in Vacanza’ in Italy, for example. Just as you, the unsuspecting tourist arrives, those who should be making a buck out of you at this peak summer holiday time of year have chosen to go on holiday too. So what happens in August in Malta, holiday islands in sun?

What to Expect in the August Shutdown
The next two weeks are Malta’s peak, local summer holiday time of year. If the father of the family hasn’t taken a break yet, he will now be shipping himself and family somewhere like a holiday flat or second home in Gozo or up North to St Paul’s Bay, abroad, or if very lucky, aboard a motor cruiser island hopping to Sicily. Mid August often sees a change in the weather to humid, sweaty, still grey days that promise rain. We can see the odd freak flash flood storm as a taste of autumn rains to come.

The summer recess in Malta moves in mysterious ways. We might not have ‘Chiuso per Ferie’ on our windows as our Italian neighbours do, but the habitual two weeks’ shutdown does leave its mark. Here’s how:

The good news
Everything a tourist needs stays open. Local businesses know that this is the time of year to make almost all their profits if they rely on tourist bucks from sun, sea and sand seeking visitors. None of the habits of Italian city restaurateurs here.

The bad news:
If you’ve moved to Malta recently, you might not know that a lot of firms – even those in service industries such as advertising, and retail businesses such as kitchen and bathroom showrooms, for instance, will be firmly shut for almost two weeks either side of 15 August. So, if you forgot to order that spare part for the washing machine, or need a new tap, like I do, you will have to wait till well after the 15th. Even then, next deliveries after the summer recess can take often until end September or longer to materialise in Malta. You will notice too that supermarket shelves may run out of favourite brands as shipments slow in August.

Although Malta has a dwindling number of manufacturing plants, the tradition of closing up the office still holds even if a firm doesn’t have a production line. The knock-on effect of the shutdown ripples through the economy. We’ve said before that the public sector is hard to reach on the phone after 12.00 from mid June to mid September, but I doubt you’ll get anywhere until September if you try to call a government office now with a query.

The other bad news is that we are all left to battle for the best places on the beach, best restaurant tables and best parking places as the islands teem with holidaymakers, locals and visitors. For some insane reason, we like to take our holidays now, altogether in a pressured two weeks. Malta’s schools don’t go back till around 24 September or later, so we’ve plenty more time to take a break.

The traditional August shutdown, while not strictly needed for most firms these days, is a habit hard to break. Maybe we can blame it on Malta’s most important public holiday, Santa Marija, which falls on the 15 August. The day is in Malta’s psyche; not only because Malta is predominantly Catholic, but also because it marks the end of Malta’s second ‘great siege’ when a small, war-torn convoy of Allied forces’ supply ships limped into Grand Harbour relieving the islands. More on that in our second August holiday article to come.

Share this

Guest Rule 1: bus it.

It’s peak summer, if we hadn’t noticed, which means it’s the season to be visited in Malta if you live here. Just as it gets really hot and anything but floating in pool or sea is tiring, emails from wannabe guests start populating your inbox. I’ve had a guest for almost a week which is why we’ve been silent in the past days. It’s also the reason for this post.

If you’ve lived in Malta as many years as I have, family and friends, far flung, have all been, seen and ‘done’ Malta at least twice or thrice and decided it’s time to holiday elsewhere. By now they’ve decided ‘the islands are so small’ and that ‘it’s far too hot in peak summer to sightsee isn’t it?’.

My list of guests has included a relative who wanted to see all the religious festas in an action-packed Easter, an Italian with a young son in tow who dug holes in my kitchen table, and a New Yorker who wanted picking up from the beach at will, generally in the peak heat.

As I waived good-bye, I made a mental note of the points that make for all-round easier, less stressful guest stay in Malta. The list is based on years of hosting experience. If you’re newly living in Malta, read this and be better prepared. The next few summers will see masses of repeat visitors coming your way. Do ask them to read this before they book the flights!

Hosts

Say NO!
If you’ve any nagging doubts about your guests’ stay (heavy workloads, kids sick, back from your holiday the day before they arrive, or you aren’t that close to them), just be brave and say a polite, quick reply, ‘NO it isn’t convenient’.

Be Prepared
Sleeping arrangements, extra beds and bedding, bathroom space, transport, car hire, sightseeing itineraries, food, ideal restaurants, kids’ activities, how to fit in with your routine, and a whole lot more needs working through before they arrive if you aren’t to feel like a stranger in your own home while guests are around. You will also be asked about medical things so make sure you know the times of a local doctor and how to guard against and treat mosquito bites and sunburn and sunstroke.

Guests

Please, please, please think about all this before you stay with a friend in Malta, especially in summer months..

Sun & Heat
June – August can easily see temperatures sore to late thirties and even over 40°C. Do expect to find that unbearable if you’re from northern climates. Do take precautions. Don’t expect your host to be sympathetic when you loll around at their house saying it’s too hot to go out, or because you got sunstroke on day one. Don’t ask them to pick you up at the hottest times of day – our cars are boiling! Stay put in the shade somewhere, then bus it home.

Electricity & Water: fans, showers, aircons and plugs
We pay among the highest price in Europe for our electricity in Malta, so please don’t leave fans, aircons or lights on when you’re not in your guest room. Do try also to save water and not shower four times a day. Plugs are UK 3-pin so bring enough adapters if from Continental Europe.

Transport – hire cars, buses
Our latest guest was supposed to hire a car but the two near misses as we drove on day one, within 100m of our house, was enough to put him off the idea. But do talk to your host in advance about how you intend to get around sightseeing or to the beach; don’t assume they can always fit in or want to pick you up. Hire cars are still cheap in Malta and a good way to explore. See our tips for safe driving. Buses are very hot this time of year but think about how quaint the journey is in our ageing vehicles!

We are not on Holiday!
While your hosts will take time to be with you, remember that they are likely to be working through summer except for perhaps the regular shutdown around 15th August ‘Ferragosto’ (to the Italians) and Santa Marija week here (15th is a public holiday). Don’t expect your host to be able to stay up late every night or be on hand to please all the time. Be thoughtful about their work routine and ensure they have space and time for themselves too.

Read up About Malta
My latest guest somehow thought that Malta would be far greener and lush – in mid July? Err…
Do read up a bit, at least, on the Islands so you won’t have the wrong expectations. Some guests seem to think that because they are staying with people they know, they don’t need to plan at all! This site might be a good place to start.

There is way more I could add to the list, but perhaps I am just too tired in the heat to pen the thoughts. Or recovering from the guest and catching up on work perhaps?

Photo: Gethin Thomas

Share this

The White Cliffs of Malta...a symbol of home? Barren and no bluebirds here, so perhaps

I love Malta, my homeland. Yet I often find myself critical of it. Maybe because I feel that my country’s small size means it has the potential to be an environmental showcase. Maybe too because I feel we are such a nation of procrastinators, that we are quite happy to let things degenerate and then spend time finger pointing.

A friend of mine once told me that Malta was a great country to come up with world changing ideas – the UN Law of the sea, for one. Yet if Malta were to be trusted to implement and coordinate these ideas they would likely die on the drawing board.

The fact that we were one of the last countries to ratify that charter, which included the creation of marine protected areas (MPA), which we still dream about, and the statement that the sea is the common heritage of all mankind, may bare testimony to my friend’s opinion.

So here I am again in Bavaria as I write. This time in resplendent, verdant summer and amazed to see it’s even greener than it was in winter.

Being here always makes me feel sad for my country, and not solely because I miss Malta, but because I look at the environmental policies here and feel humbled by them, their scope and aims. I am a son of Malta, a culturally rich country, with a unique natural environment with some 300 endemic plant species, many of which, incidentally, are under threat of extinction. But I worry about Malta as a country that has absolutely no idea how to manage nor what to do with its rich heritage.

One of the things that strikes me here in Bavaria is that in most urban developments, they consider green living areas. Gardens or trees are everywhere; children are actually playing in green areas, among trees and not on tarmac or concrete.

Blocks of apartments are put up in really fast time, AFTER consultation with ALL the neighbours and adhere to some form of aesthetic standards. Where we would build on the entire footprint, here they sacrifice some of the space to ensure the block of flats has some form of garden or green area.

I see constant reminders of the fact that it is legislative requirement for built areas to contain a certain amount of green space and also for planners to create a certain number of children’s playgrounds for a given number of apartments built.

Recently, I have noticed that many of the flat roofs have actually soft landscaped gardening. Looking from the 5th floor of the hospital where I visited a friend, I noticed that all the flat space on the roof is green with wild grass and flowering plants.

In fact, not too different from the weeds and plants our councils and government are so keen to eradicate along many of our roads and country lanes .

I started to visualise how fantastic Malta would look if our flat roofs became soft landscaped gardens, (soft as opposed to potted plants), and think about the environmentally-friendly insulation these would give us during our hot or cold seasons.

The hospital here too is an oasis of green with trees, grass and flowers everywhere. Here too I cannot but help imagine how we ended up with a bleak and barren landscaped hospital which houses the very people who may need to have spirits lifted by a pleasant environment but who are greeted instead by tarmac, concrete and rocks.

Only a couple of hundred meters away we have the Wied Gollieqa conservation area in the valley between San Gwann and the hospital. But instead of trying to at least blend to some extent the landscaping of the hospital area with its adjacent nature we go way off in the opposite direction and build a modern hospital without any natural environmental considerations. These environmental considerations include not only the lack of greenery but also its planning without consideration of renewable energy.

Often when articles like this appear in our papers we read vitriolic and intolerant statements such as “if you don’t like it then leave”, or “don’t visit Malta”. Or one is accused of being “unpatriotic”

Well, the fact is that I am Maltese and live in the country. The fact that I criticise my homeland does not make me less patriotic. My criticism comes from a love of it and the knowledge that we can be better and should aspire to all those high-minded, but often simply implemented ideals that can change the environmental face of my homeland.

Photo: courtesy Leslie Vella

Share this

There's nothing like home sweet home for a BBQ!

It’s a Sunday evening in early July as I write this, which is an appropriate moment to tackle that great Maltese seasonal institution – a large, loud gathering of family and friends out for a beach BBQ.

Tomorrow morning, many a Maltese beach will bear the signs of this weekend’s nighttime invasion – litter, spent charcoal, chicken wings and detritus of all kinds will be left behind. While some litter, there are others who spend hours doing voluntary beach tidy-ups. It’s a never ending cycle of litter, tidy, litter… but perhaps we’ve reached the tipping point, or nearly.

The Beach BBQ’s Environmental Impact
Of course, it’s not solely the beach BBQ that contributes to beach littering, but here’s an anecdote on its polluting effect which isn’t all about litter.

A couple of hot July’s ago, I went out for an expensive, splash-out meal at a restaurant right next to a small bay. The establishment suggests guests arrive to catch the sunset views from the al fresco dining area. We did. And that was about the best bit of the evening, and the meal. I won’t do a hatchet job on the meal (which it deserved), but the evocative sundown drink was spoiled within around five minutes of our arrival by the chugging into action of a generator and the waft of petrol, followed by floodlights, shouting and general mayhem. The beach BBQ was in full swing.

Now, I like the idea of a beach BBQ, and went on a couple in the past. But we were responsible enough to keep noise to a minimum. The people I was with enjoyed chilling out in the mellow heat and listening to the waves, not music or generators and scoured their patch of beach meticulously using torches to ensure not a scrap of litter was left. If all nighttime BBQ-goers did this, then there’d be no need to…

Ban the Beach BBQ
Mellieha Local Council used by-laws to ban the BBQ last summer from Ghadira Bay, to some uproar. Some quarters saw it as another attack on popular ‘cultural’ pastimes. Not that the beach BBQ can be compared with the Ghanafest.

Ghadira Bay has a nature reserve behind it and is aiming for Blue Flag status as a beach with outstanding environmental and safety credentials. While the Blue Flag criteria don’t stipulate a ban on BBQs, Blue Flag status and barbecuing don’t sit happily together; the pollution the beach BBQ produces in Malta would make attaining and retaining Blue Flag status nearly impossible.

Two beaches in Malta now have the Blue Flag – Bugibba (this year) and St George’s Bay (awarded last year). Interestingly, both are ‘new’, man-made beaches and in built-up areas popular with tourists. They have no local tradition of BBQs.

Yet, the more rural, beauty spot beaches, which should have greater potential to reach Blue Flag standards aren’t yet quality enough; the BBQ culture must have something to do with that.

Conspicously, today, I noticed a row of temporary info boards on Golden Bay beach explaining Blue Flag and the local sealife and fauna and flora. The Malta Tourism Authority’s info boards nearby, also a new addition this year, clearly said BBQs were not allowed, neither was camping.

So, plans are afoot to make more of Malta’s beaches BBQ free in pursuit of that elusive Blue Flag status no doubt. I love the idea of footloose and fancy-free summer nights on the beach with a Barbie as much as the next man. But given our islands’ limited beach space, masses of beach goers and our enduring lack of self-discipline, the BBQ must stay at home. About time.

Share this

A cliche' but it wouldn't be summer in Malta without it

Suddenly this week, we’ve had all too hot a reminder that we’re in June. Summer 2010 has had till now a late and shaky start with some wild windy days, and some sultry overcast skies heavy with thunder. But, the rising mercury is screaming summer now, so dust off memories of summers past in Malta, or anywhere else you’ve holidayed in the Med, and see if this list rings any bells with you.

You know it’s summer when…

- The cat won’t move for hours on end
- Ants start invading your kitchen
- Yells, bells and smells greet you on every street (festas, food stalls, car windows open, TVs blaring through open doors…)
- Families, old and young members like, perch outside on chairs, doorsteps and kerbs to chat
- Drivers of heavy vehicles strip to vests
- Valletta’s (old) City Gate (soon to be no more) reeks of sweets, diesel and sweat
- Tarmac starts to melt and rutch up
- Kids eat an ice cream a day
- Tourists are on the beach at midday; while Maltese turn up after 5.30pm
- Drivers start getting more abusive as heat = road rage
- You hear every festa wherever you are on the islands
- Town and village festas close roads and cause tailbacks (people kerb-crawling watching fireworks)
- There’s barely a local to be seen in village streets after midday.
- You can park in Valletta easily after midday – public servants have all gone home!
- Government offices rarely answer phones after midday
- Paceville is a no-go zone for a whole lot of reasons!
- You can hear clubbing venues’ music even if you’re miles away
- Beer not wine is the drink you want when dining out
- Aircon firms charge a whole lot more for call-outs (get servicing done by end May next year!)
- Whole families perch quayside with fishing rods as the sun sets
- Beaches get BBQs galore
- Beaches get filled up by large groups of language students (from midday at weekends, so plan to go other times!)
- You know it’s summer when you’ve had enough of going to the beach and look elsewhere for things to do.

The list is endless, so do add your own summer in Malta characteristics…

Photo: Anne Muscat Scerri of Cloudberry Images

Share this

Tuning into hunting the real antique takes perseverance

Shabby chic, bric-a-brac, antique, vintage, period, retro, modernist or kitsch – however it’s described, you’ll find it at a Maltese auction or house clearance. Of course, one man’s rare find is another’s junk. Auction aficionado Annabel Mallia gives us a flavour of what to expect under the hammer in Malta, and advises on how to watch, wait and then blink an eye, twitch a whisker and grab a bargain – or not.

Adrenalin rush
Some people may get their thrills jumping out of planes or scaling Everest but, I assure you, I experience this kind of adrenalin rush when bidding at an auction. The satisfaction of a successful bid on an item which you really covet is immense, plus you have the smug satisfaction of having outbid another bargain-hungry customer. But beware pitfalls.

Plan & Observe
Auctions are advertised weeks before the event and you should take the opportunity to go to one of the previews, purchase a catalogue in order to read the description of the item and examine the object carefully. The catalogue lists the items in the rooms in which they are seen at the preview, usually starting with the kitchen items and working through to the bedrooms. There may be 2,000 items sold during an auction will lasts 4 days or more; no two auctions are the same.

Buyer Beware
Most auctioneers are scrupulous and are not out to cheat you, but it is a case of caveat emptor (buyer beware); you have the opportunity to scrutinize the items, to ask questions of the auctioneer and to do some research. If you are buying a valuable painting, for example, it may come accompanied by documents which detail its provenance: who commissioned the work, who painted it, where it was intended for and so on. It makes the piece more valuable and more interesting.

If it is an antique you are after you should either have some knowledge of antiques or take someone with you who knows what to look for. For example, old drawers usually have dovetail joints at the rear (triangular interlocking frieze). If the pieces wood are placed one against the other and nailed, be suspicious. Likewise if the bottom of a drawer or some part of the item is made of plywood. Plywood was sometimes used in the last 60 years but it is usually close-grained birch ply.

Sale Day
At a house sale there are maybe 100 people present; maybe 50 of them will be bidders. However, each person will have different items in mind. One lady wants old kitchen items, a gentleman wants a Turkish carpet and a third person wants 10 books.

Many first-time bidders worry that a blink or twitch may be mistaken by the auctioneer for a bid, and that they will end up being obliged to buy something which they did not want. I have never known this to happen, in fact. At a house sale the people sit ranged on chairs or standing and the auctioneer sits on a raised platform (which may in some cases be a sturdy table which will be sold later on).

The auctioneer starts the bidding at a price below that which he hopes to sell for in order to judge the level of interest of the audience. If no one bids the price may be lowered or the item ‘bought in’ (kept by the auctioneer). There may be a minimum price required by the seller who has given the item to the auctioneer to sell (the reserve price); you can check this with the auctioneer before the sale starts.

If your bid is successful you will be asked to give your name which will be recorded along with the catalogue number of the item and the price. I like to note the starting and selling prices of items whether I’m bidding or not, just to get a feel for what sells and what doesn’t; what commands a high price and what is difficult to sell.

After Sale Considerations
One thing to bear in mind is that the auctioneer will add VAT to the amount you have bid, plus his fee. These facts should be written on the catalogue as should the dates and times when you must come to collect the item. If you are buying large items of furniture you will need to cost in the removal firm whom you will have to ask to bring them home for you.

A Final Word…
So, for a successful, pain-free auction…examine the items thoroughly beforehand, decide on an upper limit for your bid, calculate in the other costs which are detailed above, bid clearly and do not carried away. Impulse buys are to be avoided. As are battles with other bidders where you go past your limit or buy something just to spite the other person.

Heartfelt advice from one whose garage contains 25 pedal bins……don’t ask! They were a bargain, really!

But it’s worth noting as the adrenalin rushes that good deals can be had (bins aside); you can pick up large pieces of furniture very cheaply as people live in smaller lower-ceilinged houses and flats nowadays and these bulky items do not fit nor sell well.

Who buys what?
After many auctions, I’ve got to know what types go for what items and why. As a rule of thumb…

- Expats who are living on a pension usually go for practical stuff from a house sale such as blankets and duvets on the first day. They don’t have the money, nor the need, for the expensive stuff.

- Younger expats also may be tempted by homely items such as a set of Denby breakfast bowls.

- Some expats and Maltese who are lovers of kitsch and less bothered about ‘real’ antiques, are seen going for job lots of ‘decorative items’ containing kitsch figurines and painted key holder racks.

- Younger, wealthier Maltese, often in business or the professions, tend to go for the more expensive items, even if not usually things younger couples would really need. They are making an investment and perhaps echoing their parents’ taste.

- Antique dealers though are the real big spenders.

Photo: courtesy of Emma Maria

Share this

Madonnas: usual in churches, niches & festas; not usually found doorstepping you.

A day ago, I had a knock at the door just before 7pm. I rushed, thinking it was the postman as I was expecting an online purchase to arrive.

I opened to find, however, two late middle-aged ladies bearing a statue of the Virgin Mary.

It was about two feet high and in the regular pale, baby blue with rosy blushed cheeks and hands clasped in prayer. There was a moments pause while I did a double take, my mind now racing to whether I had any small change in my purse for some collection or other, or wondering whether they had come to preach on my doorstep. They too seemed a bit taken aback; I was obviously not Maltese and had a stunned look on my face which spelled out clearly that I had no idea at all what they wanted.

I said ‘Yes?’ with a hanging question mark. They paused, then one said ‘We’re taking the statue from house to house’. My brows furrowed and I think I said another ‘Yes?’. I was light years away still from fathoming their motive for being there or doing that. Statues are in churches, on street corners, in niches above doors and come out at village festa time. But never in my 16 years in Malta had I come across a small one going from house to house.

The ladies didn’t seem to know what to say next. The pause lingered. I decided that since they weren’t going to manage to explain, and I needed to get back to cooking, something had to be said or done to let us all get on. Since the thing wasn’t meant for my household – I was quite sure about that – I said the first thing I could think of that would end the situation, which was: ‘We’re protestant.’ They said ‘Oh’, smiled a faint smile and I closed the door.

An hour later, I was enlightened by the lady who baby sits my son. Apparently, the month of May is dedicated to the Rosary, and it’s a custom for the ’statue’ to reside for a week with a household before passing on to a neighbour. I am still not sure if the two occurrences are linked. The lady told me that she hadn’t had the statue for over 20 years in her house, and to think I’d passed on the opportunity. With 52 weeks a year and goodness known how many houses in my large village, it’s not surprising. I think a lot of Maltese don’t know about this tradition either, and it may be something that’s common in more rural areas or villages.

So, if you’re living here, have you had the statue in your house in living memory?

Photo: courtesy Mike krzeszak

Share this

Not a bridesmaid but at Holy Communion. A child's first 'right of passage' in Malta .

The Catholic church is full of rites, ceremonies, traditions. Being born a protestant, I have to admit I am fascinated by it all. Living in one of the most Catholic countries in the world, the glory of it all is everywhere. Churches, chapels, saints. Christmas cribs, Easter processions. It never ends, really.

I have three young daughters. Two of them have done what is locally called duttrina (one is still far too young to go!). For a year, children aged 6 to 7 go to Catechism lessons twice a week. For a whole year they learn even more about Jesus and God and the Apostles; it’s quite mindblowing really. All the more so because they get a lot of it in school too, where in kinder and primary years religious stories are told on a near daily basis.

So no wonder my kids were very much in the ‘I love Jesus, he’s my best friend’ club while going to their twice a week duttrina lesson. Or the ‘brainwash’ as I used to call it. But yet, I have to admit I was fascinated. I don’t think a bit of bible bashing can hurt – after all, Jesus is an excellent role model. So despite the pain of going for a 45-minute lesson twice a week, I did look forward to the actual culmination of all these preparations: the child’s first participation in Confession and later on in the big celebration of accepting the Host. The child is celebrating its First Communion!

This is when the Catholic Church is at its best. Young children dress up in full bridal outfit, walk through their villages in a procession, and then endure a long mass which ends with them being offered the Host by their parish priest. Although the children were young, I still felt pride when my kids did it. Maybe it’s because (being Swedish?) I come from a society which has lost many of its traditions and rites, and I felt that this was a way to show how we are all part of a community.

This is the real stuff: these are the passage rites the Maltese have defined in their society. These kids are on a ladder towards adulthood and they just took the first step that forever shows that they are becoming of age. I was so proud putting on my girls their fantastic outfits. I had tears in my eyes when they walked through our village with their friends. I organised a party to celebrate the occassion. And maybe that party was also a small celebration that no more do I need to go twice a week to a drab duttrina hall and sit and wait for 45 very long minutes while my daughters are singing ‘Jesus love is oh so wonderful, Jesus love is oh so wonderful…”

Photography & Text courtesy of Anne Muscat Scerri.
Anne runs Cloudberry Images and is a professional photographer with a particular knack when it comes to photographing children and families. She is a Swedish national who lives near Mgarr with her Maltese husband and three young daughters. For more on her work and her portfolio, see Cloudberry Images.

Share this