It took a massive winning bid of €12,000 yesterday for Mġarr restaurant owner Wistin Vella to earn the honour of carrying the statue of Our Lady of the Assumption during the Mġarr feast procession.

A sizeable crowd of a few hundred residents and curious outsiders gathered in the shadow of the parish church yesterday afternoon to witness the 93-year old tradition playing out.

As the church bells tolled noon, parish priest Kalċidon Vassallo started proceedings with a recitation of the Angelus prayer, before calling on anyone interested in trying for the opportunity to bear the statue to step forward.

The parish church of St Mary in Mġarr.

So tightly packed was the crowd that it took the three interested bidders, each representing a group of 12, a few minutes to make their way to Fr Vassallo’s side.

As the afternoon’s main attraction began, audible gasps rippled through the crowd when the first bidder opened with an offering of €10,000, far in excess of last year’s €5,000 winning bid. With the bar set so high, however, it wasn’t long before the matter was resolved. The second bidder pushed the price up by €200 before Mr Vella bid €12,000, prompting his rivals to concede after just a moment’s hesitation.

It is not a transaction but an offering that has been gathered throughout the year out of love for Our Lady

Mr Vella is a longstanding participant in the annual event, having now won four times in the last five years, but this year’s sum is the largest he has paid yet.

For the first time this year, a quarter of the funds raised will be donated to charity, with Hospice Malta now set to receive €3,000 towards the building of a new residential centre.

Restaurant owner Wistin Vella (centre), winner of the traditional auction for the right to carry the statue of Our Lady during the feast procession yesterday. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The annual tradition dates back to 1923, a year after the statue was first brought to the village, when those who had made the largest contribution to the statue were given the honour of carrying it. In recent years, however, there have been numerous calls for the practice to be banned, with critics claiming it glorifies the materialistic and pagan elements of the feast tradition.

But Fr Vassallo insisted yesterday that the criticism was unfounded, and stressed that the funds were used to cover the costs of the feast itself.

“This year, we’ve also included a donation to charity to make it more about Christian values and about love for those in need,” he said.

“It is not a transaction but an offering that has been gathered throughout the year out of love for Our Lady – not to receive something, but to give.”