Christmas time in Malta is a rather particular affair, as time has combined several customs that make the entire experience rather remarkable. While the island surely hasn’t resisted the commercialisation associated with the quickly modernising economy of recent years, some ancient traditions have persisted through the decades, and are actually experiencing a resurgence of late.

One such tradition is the setting up of detailed dioramas depicting the stable and the imagined surrounding countryside on that holy night in Betlehem – the nativity crib or as the Maltese call it, il-presepju. Cribs are set up in every household, varying in detail and artistic flair, but the more talented artisans, tend to flex their creative prowess in extremely professional displays which dot the island and are a must-visit throughout the season.

One village which has been synonymous with this old tradition is Mosta, and this year it is once again a wall-to-wall feast for the eyes. The ‘Grupp Armar Marija Assunta’, have kept their annual appointment and set-up a remarkable exhibition of artistic cribs in their festa warehouse adjacent to the Mosta rotunda – and the visitors can’t seem to have enough of the pretty exhibits.

“Turn-out has been very encouraging this year, as we’ve seen a remarkable increase compared to previous years,” says Joseph Abela, President of the group. “People have shown interest from the first day we opened our doors and haven’t stopped since.”

Joseph together with Deputy President Justin Aquilina is the brains behind the exhibition, which is the group’s way of staying active during the winter months. No doubt, that the centrepiece of the exhibition is the large-scale crib they create themselves and which is different every year.

“We start by planning out the topography of the scenery, deciding where we’re going to place the cave in which the nativity group will be set, and the rest of the surrounding countryside,” Justin explains, as he goes through the motions of creating an impressively large crib. “Then we proceed with creating the small alleyways and valleys, and distant landscape which we deliberately make smaller, in order to create the impression of depth of field.”

Once the structure is ready, and the realistic garigue planes are done, it’s the turn of painting and finally placing the pasturi, or the tiny figurines depicting the various shepherds, farmers, and assorted peasants that populate the idyllic scene.

“The entire set of figurines is owned by Joseph and me, and all the pieces are marked on the bottom to avoid confusion which belongs to whom, when it comes to dismantling. We had to come up with a clever way of marking them, in fact, as we both have identical initials,” Justin quips.

“Each year we make sure to change the set-up completely, and even introduce a few new elements to keep visitors coming. We even change the entire exhibition round, mixing it up every year, so people always know that they are going to see something new, each year,” he continues.

This year’s special addition comes in the form of a brand-new figurine depicting the humble friar, St Francis of Assisi, kneeling in awe in front of the infant Jesus. St Francis is said to have created the first crib in Greccio, Italy, some 800 years ago in 1223! “We wanted to remember this magical event, which started the age-old tradition,” Justin explains, as he proudly carries the nativity baton.

“For us, Christmas time is the slow season, as our busiest times are Good Friday and more significantly the feast of the Assumption in August. So, the exhibition is a way of keeping our younger members involved and learning new skills,” Joseph notes.

Justin agrees, adding that the exhibition is the perfect platform to build social bonds and friendships that spill swell into the community, which ultimately it is what these traditions are all about.

Apart from the large-scale crib Joseph and Justin create together with their helping colleagues, the exhibition also features a number of cribs pertaining to various styles and idioms on show. “We have a variety of cribs, from Neapolitan to traditional, as well as contemporary elements on display. All cribs are the work of master artists, who each year offer their works to be displayed during the festive season.”