The Friends of the Crib society, more commonly known in the vernacular as L-Ghaqda Hbieb tal-Presepju, has the following aims:

• To encourage the building of nativity cribs by Maltese families during Christmas;

• To foster friendship between the lovers of presepji;

• To back the work of artists and writers whose work is connected to presepji;

• To organise courses and lectures about nativity crib construction;

• To have a permanent presepji display;

• To foster relations on a national and international basis with similar organisations in order to exchange news as well as publications about presepji.

Society secretary Charles Bellia explained the evolution of the Christmas Crib in Malta and the setting up of the society in 1986. He says that wherever Christmas is celebrated, the presepju forms part of the country’s tradition and our little island is no exception.

Although drawings of nativity scenes existed earlier, St Francis of Assisi is credited with giving the scene a three dimensionality. Crib building spread from Italy to all over Europe and eventually the World, each country adapting the crib to its own traditions, trades and style of costumes.

The first crib known to have been built in Malta dates back to the year 1617 and was exhibited in the Dominican Friars Church in Rabat. In St Peter’s Monastery in Mdina, one can still find a crib dating back to 1670. This is treasured by the Benedictine Sisters who live in the monastery. Towards the middle of the 19th century, a certain Antonio Muscat Fenech from Qormi, built a mechanical crib which he opened for public viewing in his garage. Water dripping on fins attached to wheels was used to turn wooden shafts, which in turn, activated the movements of the statuettes in the crib. So many people visited the crib that it remained on show until the following February.

Mr Bellia continues that the building of cribs in Malta was influenced mainly by the Neapolitan style which was quite popular in Europe till the end of the last century.

This idea was introduced in Malta by various noblemen who could afford to buy the expensive statuettes at the time. However, this elegant style did not represent much of a “Holy Night” for the Maltese and therefore it was not readily welcomed. It is said that, as a protest, most of these cribs were burnt in winter fire in times of poverty.

Eventually a Franciscan friar who is known to have lived in Malta for some time, Benedetto Papale introduced the Sicilian style of crib. One of his cribs can still be seen in Caltagirone, Sicily. This style was more acceptable to the Maltese, perhaps due to the likeness between the Maltese and Sicilian countryside depicted in the cribs. Even so, the Maltese crib followed local traditions with regard to trades, costumes, musical instruments and buildings, which formed the crib. The Maltese farmhouse and flour windmill still feature prominently in locally built cribs.

Mr Bellia explained that during the 19th and first part of the 20th centuries the building of cribs in Malta flourished. Cribs were mostly built from rustic stone, very abundant in Maltese countryside, and coal residue, commonly known as gagazza. The latter was generally acquired from blacksmiths. These two media, patiently built, formed the desired basic shape of the crib. After Christmas they could be dismantled and stored away for the following year. Nonetheless, the introduction of modern fuels in furnaces did away with coal and therefore the supply of gagazza became very remote, while the use of stone was rather cumbersome. Therefore crib enthusiasts turned to another medium, papier-mache. On the one hand this medium made cribs more solid and lightweight but on the other hand it presented a problem of storage. For this reason, cribs were very often destroyed after Christmas.

Mr Bellia added that when speaking about presepji one must naturally also speak about pasturi. The first pasturi were rather expensive and therefore beyond the ordinary man’s reach. So another method was devised. Using earth clay rugged figures could b shaped and then brightly painted in order to define the face, hand and clothes. Some enterprising people created plaster moulds into which soft earth clay was pressed to produce figurines. These were produced in large numbers and sold for a penny. These are known as the pasturi tas-sold. Some specimens of these pasturi still exist and are treasured in private collections. Candle wax was also used in moulds to make replicas of Baby Jesus and other statuettes.

Towards the middle of the 20th Century, and particularly after the end of World War II, new customs and traditions were brought into Malta from abroad. Unfortunately, local traditions and folklore were pushed aside. Both in Malta and abroad, the crib became just another Christmas decoration and due to the work required in its building, it lost its popularity to make way for the Christmas tree and other easy to mount decorations. The mass production of plastic figurines, dressed in contemporary clothes and painted in bright styles, lacked the prestige of the individually made figure and helped to deteriorate the tradition even more.

Nevertheless a few enthusiasts kept the crib building tradition alive in Malta and exhibited their cribs to the public. It was thanks to these persons that the custom of crib building in Malta did not vanish altogether.

In 1986, a group of crib enthusiasts got together and formed the Friends of the Crib Society. The scope of the group was very specific – to keep the crib tradition in Malta alive.

During the years that followed, the society managed to rekindle the love for the crib and to attract no less than 300 active members. During the year, even when Christmas is still “far away”, members of the society get together to discuss various aspects of the crib, listen to lectures about the history of the crib in Malta and abroad and also watch demonstrations on crib building given by the elder members of the society. Various techniques, materials and styles are shown and discussed. Practical sessions, where members start building their cribs, are organised and heavily attended especially by new members.

Every year, during the weeks preceding Christmas, the Friends of the Crib hold an exhibition of works by their members. About 100 cribs of various shapes and sizes made from different media such as papier mache, polystyrene, cork, etc., are put together to offer visitors, locals and tourists alike, the true story of Christmas – the birth of Baby Jesus.

The society also issues a highly informative magazine with news about what the society has been up to as well as information about presepji in general.

At this year’s exhibitions there are presepji made from a variety of materials – ranging from the exotic ostrich egg to snail shells. Children jostle each other wanting to get a closer look of the presepji and hopefully they’ll be encouraged to build their own crib.

Carmen Gellel, who has her own presepju exhibited, explained that they have been working on the cribs since summer. Building a crib requires patience and a lot of time waiting for the crib to fry.

Martha Fenech who built a presepju together with her nephew Gavin Muscat, found that the experience didn’t only serve as a bonding session but it also keeps Christmas alive in her heart all year round due to the necessary preparation which start early on during the year.

For more information about the Ghaqda Hbieb Tal-Presepju, visit www.presepjumalta.org

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The Neapolitan Crib

Although as aforementioned the Neapolitan crib in Malta did not reach the same heights of popularity as other forms of cribs, this year, once again, Fr Edgar Vella has his Neapolitan crib on display, this time at the Auberge de Castille.

Fr Vella explained that for centuries Naples was synonymous with the presepio tradition. This tradition has its roots in the 16th century. The artists who made the pasturi were known as figurarum sculptores or figurinai. This activity reaches its zenith in the 18th century when the love and enthusiasm for building these artistic cribs involved people from all social classes of the Kingdom of Naples. King Charles III of Bourbon whiled many hours building Christmas cribs and his wife dedicated a lot of time to the manufacturing of the costumes of the royal collection’s pasturi.

In the beginning of the 18th century, the Golden Age of the Neapolitan presepju, the pastore snodabile was introduced. This technique made the figurines more manageable.

The Neapolitan presepio is seeped in symbolism. For example the presepio is always set during the day to remind the viewer that the Messiah is the light of the world. The composition of the monumental Neapolitan presepio normally consists of three narrative scenes which in bigger cribs would be often repeated.

These narrative scenes are centred on il mistero which shows the birth of Jesus set in the ruins of a pagan Roman temple symbolising the decadence of paganism and the birth of Christianity. In this scene one finds the choir of angels, the adoration of the Shepherds and the visit by the Magi accompanied by a number of Oriental and exotic figures, which make the scene more dramatic and luxurious. Another scene is the annuncio, which shows the apparition of the Angel to the shepherds in order to deliver the good news. The third scene in la taverna. In this scene the characters are in a jovial atmosphere. This scene reminds the viewer of the innkeepers of Bethlehem which did not offer any room to Mary and Joseph.

In the Neapolitan presepio on display at Auberge de Castille there’s also a bridge, which represents the road leading to the Saviour and a Baroque fountain, which makes the crib even finer. In addition, there a number of animals, gastronomic artefacts and miniatures known as finimenti making the scene more real and detailed,

The Neapolitan presepio is highly imaginative and full of spirit. The figurines represent the Neapoiltan people with their characteristics. Fr Vella explained, “The presepio transforms the Nativity into a genre picture of the Neapolitan daily life as if life in the Gospel had been written in dialect!” Nothing but the actual birth of Baby Jesus actually refers to Palestine. The Picirillo born in a manger in Bethlehem becomes the centre of life in typical Neapolitan streets.

Visiting hours

From Monday 17 January to Monday 7 January:

Mon-Fri: 6pm-8pm

Sat: 9am-1pm; 6pm-8pm.

Sun: 9am-1pm