What's On?

In Gozo, as in Malta, Easter is celebrated with high liturgical and festive activities. As from Easter Saturday, all parishes gather the faithful in their churches for religious service. In this function there are the traditional rituals of the blessing of water and fire. The church lights are turned off reducing visibility to a mere glimpse. Then many candles are lit up from the Pascal Candle and the whole church springs alive with hundreds of yellow flickers. This traditional rite is then followed by the chimes of all sorts of bells.

After the reading of several passages from the Scriptures and the delivery of a sermon, the celebrant blesses the holy water that is used for baptisms while the whole congregation confirms their faith by reciting the baptismal vows. After the service the congregation usually stays for a while in the church premises for a drink or a taste of the traditional Figolla (Maltese almond Easter cake).

On Easter Sunday Gozo wakes up to the cacophony of Gozo's church bells. Christians flock to their parishes for the Easter Mass, while some parishes follow the Easter religious service with a traditional march with the statue of the risen christ. These traditional marches are usually accompanied by local bands and their popularity remained unchanged throughout the ages. These processions offer a sharp contrast to those of Good Friday as the sombre atmosphere gives way to a general expression of joy. In some parishes the bearers run with the statue for the last part of the procession. At the end of each dash, the bearers lift and jolt the statue high up on their arms as a sign of victory.

Gozo's capital town - Victoria organises two processions with the statue of the risen Christ. The first procession goes out of St.George's Basilica accompanied by marches from La Stella Band. Upon its festive conclusion, as if to eternally prolong this commemorative morning, another procession emerges from within the Citadel walls, precisely from the Gozo Cathedral, this time accompanied by Leone Band.

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