In the past, cribs were mainly found in private homes rather than in public places. In mid 1950s Malta, the popularity of cribs waned and Christmas trees became popular. Along the High Street in Hamrun (where my parents lived), families vied with each other to display their Christmas trees in their balconies. 

In the last couple of decades, militant Catholics have fought back with their own brand of Christian correctness to restore their toy-like crib to its former folkloristic status. They fear that their religion could be sidelined or – even worse – that their beliefs could become irrelevant myths.

When Malta’s Landscaping Consortium embellished traffic roundabouts with non-religious decorations, a few reactionary Catholics objected strongly until the Consortium succumbed to their pressure. 

The same kind of pressure was put on MaltaPost when it issued postage stamps with non-religious images. The outcome of this religious bullying is that businesses now have to conform to Christian correctness.

These days, Catholics make sure that you’re confronted with cribs wherever you turn: in streets and squares, in shops and banks, in government buildings, and in a public garden at St Julian’s.

As if all these cribs displayed in public were not enough, pseudo “live cribs” take place every year in Gozo. You see one crib – and you’ve seen them all!

John Guillaumier

St Julian’s