As the Johnny Cash song goes, time really does change everything – including the way Malta mourned and carried loved ones that passed away. The DOI has shared an image of a hearse that will be unfamiliar to most under 70, called the ‘karozzella tal-funerali’ or ‘karru funebri’, which was essentially a horse-drawn carriage dedicated to funeral rites.

Riding through the streets of Ħamrun in the photo, this karozzin-style hearse was introduced in the late 19th to early 20th century, and often quite ornate in its decorations – some even sporting feathers! – despite being a sombre sight to passersby.

In another image shared on Facebook by Tony Buttigieg a few years ago, a couple of commenters shared their memories of these hearse carriages, recounting how crowds would immediately disperse at the sound of the ‘karru funebri’, both because of the ‘snorting horses’, but possibly also due to the grim weight they carried.

Do you remember these hearses?