The Passion of Christ being presented as a pageant in Valletta today

The Valletta 2018 Foundation, together with the Għaqda Kultura u Armar, is today presenting The Passion of Christ in Valletta – a pageant along the main streets and squares of the capital city.

Photo: Cocker Photography

The pageant will start at the Grand Master’s Palace and will proceed along Republic Street, Melita Street, Merchants Street, St Christopher Street and return to Republic Street.

The pageant comes to an end on the parvis of St John’s Co-Cathedral, where Christ’s final moments will be portrayed in the form of a musical.

Around 400 actors playing biblical characters from both the Old and New Testament, as well as live animals, will be participating in the pageant.

The musical will also feature the performance of a new song with lyrics by poet Ray Mahoney and Mark Tonna, and music composed by Andrew Zammit.

The dialogue between actors playing Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, and St John and Our Lady, has been written for this production with the help of researcher Ramon Fiott.

Local singers taking part in the production include Debbie Scerri, Eleanor Cassar, Lydia Grech, Renato Vella, Stephanie Vella, Nazio Rotin, Malcolm Camilleri, Steve Camilleri, Ishmael Grech, Charlene Cardona and a children’s choir.

Three local band clubs will be participating in the pageant: Marija Annunzjata Band Club of Tarxien, Beland Band Club of Żejtun and King’s Own Band Club of Valletta.

At 6.30pm, the first two bands will be performing funeral marches starting from the  Auberge de Castille and walking down Merchants Street towards the Grand Master’s Palace.

Meanwhile, the King’s Own Band will be playing funeral marches while walking from Pjazza Teatru Rjal towards the Grand Master’s Palace, from where the band will then be accompanying the procession along its route.

The pageant along the main streets and squares of Valletta starts at 7pm today.

Good Friday procession in Victoria

Four 17th-century papier-mâché statues, considered as masterpieces, and three later additions, dressed in rich velvet robes in pure Siculo-Spanish tradition, will be carried in a devotional procession on Palm Sunday in Victoria.

The Cathedral Chapter of Canons, the Leone Band and 300 participants dressed in biblical costumes, will be taking part. The procession will pass through the historic centre of Victoria, starting at 6pm, when it emerges at the main portals of the Gozo Cathedral, until 9pm.

Although Gozo’s first devotional processions cele­brating the great mysteries of faith are lost in collective memories, these papier mâché statues are still preserved as devotional heritage at the Gozo Cathedral.

During the procession, the Leone Band will be performing some of the oldest funerary band marches on record.

The procession from the Ċittadella’s walls through the historic centre of Victoria is being held tomorrow, Palm Sunday, at 6pm.