Olive fest in Zejtun

An event celebrating olive picking and pressing, themed Zejt iz-Zejtun, will be held in Zejtun over the weekend.

The place name Zejtun in its original Semitic connotation signifies the produce from olive trees.

Organised by the local council, the event starts tomorrow at 7 p.m. with the bandu announcing the event followed by a defilé of village folk and farmers on carts carrying the olive harvest for pressing.

The bandu was a public announcement read by a town crier during the reign of the knights of the Order of St John. The knights' stay on the island lasted between 1530 and 1798.

Drummers and flag bearers in mediaeval costumes and folk singers and dancers will add to the colour and verve of the evening. Agricultural tools and products and folk art will be displayed in the ambience of an old country village and fair.

Bread dressed with freshly-pressed olive oil will be distributed and olive trees will be on sale.

An audiovisual presentation will feature olive tree varieties and their cultivation. On Sunday morning the parish will organise the traditional blessing of horses, cattle and pets. This will take place after the planting of olive trees by a group of children who this year received the sacrament of confirmation.

Tomorrow, the crypt of the parish church of St Catherine will be open for public viewing and on Sunday morning the belfries will be open.