Hunters firing blank shots from the rooftop of St Julian’s parish church during the festive procession.

A record number of hunters from St Julian’s and other towns and villages saluted the titular statue of St Julian during the festive procession last Sunday by firing blank black powder cartridges from the rooftop of St Julian’s parish church. The event has been taking place for the past 31 years.

The cartridges were made available by the Federation for Hunting and Conservation – Malta (FKNK) to kick off this year’s festivities commemorating the patron saint of hunters. Simultaneously, the FKNK’s conservation arm repeated last year’s symbolic gesture of releasing a substantial number of turtle doves bred in captivity, to the delight of all those present.

This experience, rooted in a centuries-old tradition, represents the actual meaning of the word musketterija, which is derived from the Italian word moschetto, meaning ‘shotgun’.

In fact, during the times of the Knights of St John, the order’s soldiers used to fire their shotguns as a salute during the feast of Corpus Christi.

The federation’s CEO Lino Farrugia said this was why it was important that such customs were kept alive and thanked veteran FKNK honorary member hunter Aldo Azzopardi, whose determination kept this tradition alive.

This occasion also served as a social gathering for the hunting community, who share their experiences every year during a small reception held at the parish hall.