Wartime votive dress donated to museum

An original adult votive dress “libsa tal-weghda” has been donated to Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna by Mrs Marquita Degabriele for display at the Malta at War Museum, Couvre Porte, Vittoriosa.

The dress is black and made from simple light wool. It was sewn by a commercial seamstress to Mrs Carmelina Zammit wife of Qormi Poet and lawyer Gorg Zammit early in the war.

This was the result of a vow made by her to the Almighty that if her family was to survive the horrors of war she was to wear it every Friday for 15 years. Carmelina Zammit died on 9th June 2007 at the age of 101.

Vows like these were commonplace in those days and form part of an ancient Catholic tradition where a believer enters into a personal pact with God or a Saint in return of a favour. Mrs Zammit’s family consisting of her husband and two young daughters Céline and Mariquita survived the war after abandoning their home in Sliema to seek refuge in the small rural hamlet of Selmun in the Northern part of the island.

The dress has been placed on display at the Malta at war Museum, Couvre Porte, Vittoriosa in the gallery dedicated to the social life of the Maltese in wartime Malta. The museum is open from Tue – Sunday between 10am and 5pm. More information can be obtained from its websites www.wirtartna.org/www.maltaatwarmuseum.com.