Chapter 8

 

The Procession – its format

 

Original developments

 

     As pointed out in previous chapters, the Good Friday procession has been organised by the Fraternity of the Crucifix ever since it was set up and before that time it used to organised by the Fraternity of Charity. The members of the Fraternity did their utmost to make the celebration better and hence this procession became the main activity of their Fraternity. They used to take this activity very seriously and start preparing for it from the beginning of Lent, especially spiritually.

    

   In their regulations they are obliged that every Friday for the six Fridays before Good Friday, they had to meet at the oratory dressed in their garb (konfratija) for prayers and other devotional services. They used to put in the Oratory the statue upon which they were going to contemplate for that particular week. After reciting the litanies, reading of Psalms, short hymns (kurunella) of the Wounds of Our Lord and some other prayers, a sermon used to be delivered regarding the mystery being commemorated that particular week. At the end they used to perform a symbolic act of discipline in that as a sign of sorrow and penitence for their sins they used to beat themselves with the cords of their garb. This act was called discipline (dixxiplina). At the end of the service they used to hold adoration of the most precious relic, the Vero Lignum (Real Wood). This relic contains a small piece of the Holy Cross.

 

     The members of the Fraternity or brothers (fratelli) used to have a very strong presence in the procession. During the year they used to show by their behaviour that the part they played in the procession was not a one day show but they wanted to live that part all throughout the year. They ordered or repaired the statues whenever it was necessary. They decorated the statues as fitted the occasion and tried to move on with the times. As far as it was possible they used to carry the statues themselves during the procession, dressed in their Fraternity garb.

It is obvious that the format of the procession underwent many changes during these years. We have it from official sources that for some time during the middle of the last century, a little girl used to be dressed up as St Michael and some boys used to be dressed up in sheep’s skins to represent St John the Baptist. These children used to be placed on the daises and carried around during the procession. The brothers (fratelli) used to attend in large numbers. They used to walk in line on either side of the procession accompanying the statues. The Prefect and his assistants used to walk in front of the Crucifixion (Vara l-Kbira). It was also the custom that for the Good Friday procession, the brothers carried a lantern on a wooden stick instead of the usual long candle.

                      

            The Good Friday Procession in Two Gates Street in 1926

        

                                  Photo taken in 1918

                

                                                      Photo taken in 1928

 

      The procession of Good Friday was not always held on a Friday. Initially there was no fixed day and normally used to be held on Maundy Thursday. It was a popular procession and was included in the regulations of the Fraternity. In 1880, the Bishop Carmelo Scicluna ordered that as from that year, the procession of Good Friday should be held on a Friday. It seems that this change was not popular at all in fact in 1882 the procession was again held on a Thursday, but from the following year it started being carried out on a Friday and remained so up to date. In those days, before the introduction of electricity, huge iron scones used to be stuck to the walls of the streets through which the procession passed and flambeau (fjakkoli) used to be lit when it became dark. Usually the procession started at 5 p.m. and ended at about 8 p.m.

 

The format of the procession today

 

      The procession has now been held for over 280 years so it is only natural that it underwent certain changes. These came about because new ideas evolved or else because of particular circumstances. It is enough to point out that the changes carried out in the last 25 years made the procession unrecognizable from how it was carried out in the early 70s. The only common factors are the statues. During a meeting of the Fraternity held in February 1974, when the Archpriest was Dun Gwann Sladden and the Prefect was Carmelo Tabone it was agreed that the procession had to be revamped. The old decorations, which were in a bad state, had to be replaced. It was also decided that even the format of the procession had to be changed and try and imitate the progress made in similar processions of other towns and villages. A committee made up of procurator Mario Caruana, and the members of the Fraternity Victor Schiavone, Pio Mangion and Charles Mercieca proposed that most of the equipment, such as the daises, scones and similar decorations had to be replaced. They suggested that new customs for children to be made and to introduce biblical and historical personalities to take part in the procession.

 

     These innovations were taken in hand in 1975 when some personalities were introduced. For the first five years, youngsters from the Oratory of the Missionary of St Paul in Birkirkara used to act these parts. They also used to bring with them the outfits necessary. These new ideas took ground and as time went by the number of personalities were increased. People from Senglea, males, females, young and old started to take part with the outfits being lent by the Catholic Action Senglea branch. During this same period we had the introduction of young girls in front of each statue. These girls would carry an inscription about each particular statue. All these innovations were the ideas of the committee set up in February 1974.

 

     Senglea’s procession is made up of eight statues. So in practice the procession is split up into eight blocks. The statue is the focal point of each block and it comes at the end of each section. Each block is made up of two boys each carrying symbols of the passion and which are called misteri. On each side of these boys we have two girls each carrying a Jewish style of scroll. One scroll had a quotation from the Old Testament and the other scroll a quotation from the New Testament. The symbols and writings refer to the statue in that particular block.

 

     As from 1999 another girl was introduced with this group. She stays in the middle and carries a decorative plaque. These plaques have a quotation from one of the Fathers of the Church, which also refer to the particular statue in that section. The biblical and historical personalities follow these children and than at last we have the statue. The statue is accompanied by four boys, one in each corner and every one of them carrying a lantern on a wooden stick. This same format is repeated throughout the whole procession with the exception of the statue of the Crucifixion (Vara l-Kbira) and Our Lady of Sorrows (id-Duluri). In front of the Crucifixion we have seven girls carrying plaques with the last seven phrases Our Lord said on the Cross before He died. In front of Our Lady of Sorrows seven other girls carrying plaques listing the seven sorrows attributed to Our Lady.

 

The personalities who take part.

 

    The biblical personalities, who take part, as they participated in the procession of 1999, are distributed as follows in front of each statue:

 

Jesus in the Garden – l-Ort

    

 

 

In front of this statue we have the three apostles, Peter, James and John. They were the three apostles Jesus took with him to share and be witness of the agony He suffered in the garden of Gethsemani, where Jesus liked to go and pray. Behind them we have Judas the Iscariot, the disciple who in that same night and in this same garden betrayed his Master for 30 pieces of silver.

 

               

 

The Scourging of Jesus – il-Kolonna

        

      

     

       We have Caiphas, the High Priest, and by

 his side Annas, who was his father in law. After Jesus was arrested he was immediately taken in front of these two personalities. These two persons were leaders of the Jewish Sanhedrin and they played an important part in this event. With them there is another priest from among the high echelon of the Sanhedrin.

 

Jesus crowned with thorns – il-Porpra

 

 

 

       Then there is Barabbas, escorted by two Roman soldiers, who walk in front of the statue. Barabbas was freed from prison after the priests’ and elders’ encouraged the people to demand that Pontius Pilate release him instead of Jesus.

        

       

 

    Jesus the Redeemer – ir-Redentur

 

        Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, another important personality in this event is accompanied by his wife and other servants. Pilate’s wife had told him not to get involved in this matter. Accompanying them there is also a squad of Roman soldiers led by their centurion and soldiers carrying the Roman emblem (S.P.Q.R – Senatus populusque Romanus – The Senate and the Roman People). We have also nine soldiers playing drums and trumpets. It was the usage in Roman days that these soldiers would accompany a person condemned to death. The ornamental flag with the letters S.P.Q.R. showed the connection there was between the senate and the people of Rome with this event.

                      

 

            The statue of the Veronica – il-Veronika

 

                  

    

 

            

 

 

       Simon the Cyrenian is seen carrying the cross as ordered and being escorted by a Roman soldier. Behind him we find a group of Jewish women to remind us that on the way to the Golgotha there were many people, mainly women, who were crying out while following Jesus.

 

 

The Crucifixion – il-Vara l-Kbira

 

 

     The Patriarch Abraham is seen leading his son Isaac to be sacrificed. Isaac himself is carrying the firewood for the sacrifice. Melchisedech, priest and king of Salem follows. Melchisedech was the first person to offer bread and wine as sacrifice to God. These two biblical personalities represent the greatest sacrifice ever made, the one on top of the Golgotha. Behind them we have a Roman Centurion and four soldiers. They had the job to see that Pontius Pilate’s sentence was adhered to, that is, to nail Jesus Christ to the Cross.

    

 

    The Entombment – il-Monument

 

       Here we have Joseph of Arimatea who was a member of the Sanhedrin and secretly a disciple of Christ. He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Christ so that he could give him a decent burial. With him there is also Nicodemus. The latter used to meet Jesus during the night. Both of them removed the body of Jesus from the cross, wrapped the body in a shroud as was the Jewish usage and buried Him in a new grave belong to Joseph of Arimatea. Mary Magdalene and Mary of Cleopha were present for the whole event including the burial.

 

The statue of Our Lady of Sorrows – id-Duluri

 

 

 

 

 

      Here we find a group of Jewish women who at the end of this tragic event approached Our Lady to offer their support and condolences on the loss of Her only Son.

 

        All the customs used are property of the Fraternity and they were made by many helpers over a period of about six years. The customs have been modelled on those wore for the passion play of Oberamergau. The customs are appropriate for this solemn occasion. While they are not made of expensive rich material, nonetheless they are adequate and very presentable. These personalities also enhance the procession. The customs of the twenty six Roman soldiers follow more or less the same pattern. They have minimal changes to distinguish one group from the other. All metal work was carried out between 1979 and 1985 by the firm Aquilina Metal Works of Qormi.

 

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