Back for the dead

Visitors to the Castille area of Valletta yesterday morning got to witness an unusual sight: a horse-drawn funeral carriage, dating back to the late 19th century, being taken on a ride-around.

Although no funerals are normally held on Sundays, Joseph Borg, the son of a funeral director, said he had taken the horses out for a trot.

His father, Sliema-based funeral director Louis Borg, is the owner of another seven carriages of the same type which all date back between 120 and 150 years.

Mr Borg (jnr.) drove two large black horses, decorated in full traditional funeral regalia, up the hill to Castille.

"We're just out with the horses for a ride around today. We're soon going to be using the carriages for funerals, following on from one we did about four months ago."

He added that the particular carriage he was driving had been restored about a year ago, by father-and-son team Alfred and Stephen Saliba from Birkirkara. The former did the restoration work while the latter did the painting, to return the carriage to its former grandeur.

The intention is to put all the carriages into service for use at funerals, reviving a tradition which died out some 40 years ago.

Currently, two still need restoration work. The other six have been completed. In addition, Louis Borg has taken on ownership of eight horses to draw the carriages.

In all, the total investment made will be in the region of €60,000.

Mr Borg's resurrection of the horse-drawn hearses came in the wake of the liberalisation of the motorised market. He spoke of his intention to revive that sense of respect for the dead that came with the carriages.

He is bringing back from the dead his first-class carriage (tal-kewkba), which was used by "rich Sliema residents"; the prima and sekonda, which were for lower levels of society, but equally elaborate to the fresh eye; and the white version for babies and single women.

"I have been receiving requests for these carriages for the last 15 years, particularly from the elderly in the villages. Mercedes and Rolls Royce are nothing next to them, in their view," Mr Borg said.