Heritage Malta will again be treating its patrons to an original and unique carnival event this year: Il-qarċilla at the Inquisitor’s Palace and the National Museum of Natural History in collaboration with  the Akkademja tal-Malti.

Il-qarċilla is a poetic farce in Maltese which, up to a 100 years ago, formed part of carnival celebrations in Valletta and was also very popular in some villages.

A man, acting as a notary, would in the presence of two youngsters, acting as husband and wife-to-be, read out a marital contract in verse filled with satirical innuendos and humour. The crowd would gather in the streets of Valletta to listen to the poem which, in some instances, could require an adult audience.

The first qarċilla on record was written for the 1760 carnival festivities by Cospicua poet Dun Feliċ Demarco. His works include Iż-Żwieġ la Maltija, his only work which has survived todate.

The first qarċilla will take place at The Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa on February 16 at 8pm.

The programme includes a short talk by Olvin Vella about the linguistic value of the ancient qrieċel, a performance, a small exhibition of authentic specimens of qrieċel and a reception.

The second run will be held at the National Museum of Natural History in Mdina on February 17 at 8pm. The programme will include a short talk by Bernard Micallef about the literary value of the first qarċilla, a performance, a small exhibition of authentic specimens of qrieċel and a reception. The brand new qarċilla is written by Trevor Zahra.

Tickets, at €15, can be purchased from all Heritage Malta sites and museums and online.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.