Claps turned into shrieks as Senglea’s statue of the Risen Christ leaned over and nearly crashed to the ground as it was being rushed along Two Gates Street yesterday morning.

Two of the men doing the carrying were slightly injured after one of them tripped and fell over, with the statue tilting to one side and coming to a halt.

But the pause in its progress was short: Christ quickly rose up again as, aided by onlookers, the other runners regained their composure, heaved and continued on their speedy way through the street.

The two men were treated on site and went back to enjoying the Catholic Church’s greatest celebration.

The annual Easter Sunday procession is a highly anticipated event and, in many towns, is a triumphal walk – and sometimes run – with parishioners carrying the statue of the Risen Christ along the main roads back to the church.

People were perhaps more eager to take part in the various processions after last year’s heavy showers marred the celebrations, forcing some localities to cancel the event altogether.

Church bells chimed as men, some in white robes, carried the statue shoulder-high or ran with it through streets carpeted with confetti.

One of the areas sought after by tourists and locals alike is the Three Cities, where the event happens simultaneously.

Steeped in tradition, the Cospicua procession dates back to the mid-18th century when Ċelestinu Sacco, a sailor, brought the statue of the Risen Christ over from Spain. It is venerated to this day.

The statue represents Christ rising majestically out of his tomb with the branch of a palm tree in one hand and a decorative solid silver tombstone beneath him.