Talent Mosti's apprecation

Over the festive season, the philanthropic organisation Talent Mosti organised many events aimed at helping people get into the spirit of Christmas. The custom based on Christian principles and Catholic traditions was the most prominent. For us Maltese and Gozitans, the crib still holds an unexplainable mystique which we want to share with peoples of other nations due to the sense that the birth of Jesus Christ is the main reason why Christmas exists. Apart from the religious aspect, the crib also has an artistic one.

One of the most successful attractions was without doubt the exhibition set up in the Markiz Mallia Tabone farmhouse which is Talent Mosti's cultural centre. What made this exhibition such a success was the fact that in one place, one could admire the talents of a number of members and friends of the organisation who every year show off their own cribs in this 17th century farmhouse. Thousands came to admire the range of high-standard cribs made up of different materials.

In the Christmas competition organised by the National Folklore Commission, the crib made by Jimmy Mifsud, an active member of Talent Mosti, placed second in Category C of Small Static Cribs. The committee would like to publicly thank all the 27 exhibitors who showed their cribs.

The local media helped by informing the public about this activity and for this we would like to show our gratitude. We would also like to thank the head and the school council of the Lily of the Valley school, which is near the farmhouse, for their full cooperation.

A big thank you also goes to Joe Quattromani who was instrumental in the successful re-enactment of the story of the first crib being set up by St Francis of Assisi.

The event, held at our farmhouse, was attended by about 300 people and formed part of the series of cultural visits organised for the public by the Ministry of Tourism together with Heritage Malta, the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and the Malta Tourism Authority.

We would also like to thank the guides who brought a big number of tourists to our farmhouse so they could appreciate our country's rich culture and lifestyle. Also, thanks go to all heads and teachers of different government schools for giving many children and students the opportunity to develop a love for cribs when still young.

These positive results augur well for the vast cultural calendar that the organisation has planned for 2006.