48_MaltaFriday

The Maltese islands lie mid-way between Gibraltar and Lebanon, the south-east corner of Sicily lies 60 miles to the north, Libya 200 miles to the south, and Tunisia 200 miles to the west. Malta is thus a natural port-of-call between Europe and North Africa. Both continents have strongly influenced its culture. Its language is Semitic, related to North African Arabic. The main features of the cultural and social organisation of the Maltese, however, are European. Though they pray to Allah, they are fervently practising Roman Catholics.

Naxxar is one of the twelve parishes out of more than 70 in Malta which celebrate Good Friday by means of a procession. The Good Friday procession is one of the largest events in the parish's religious and social calendar. It is a community effort and the village is conscious of showing itself off to the outside world. In contrast to some religious events, the devotion to Good Friday is still growing in scale. This is in spite of attempts by the Church, following the Second Vatican Council, to downplay Good Friday and give the Easter celebration of Christ's resurrection more prominence. One of the underlying questions in the film is why Good Friday processions continue to expand.

The film consists of twelve episodes that show in detail the activities leading up to and within the procession. It is recommended for both schools and introductory classes in geography, religion, sociology, and anthropology. The film forms part of the BBC series, Other People's Lives, and a study guide to accompany the series is available from the RAI, price £3.50. Catalogue number (16mm): 3RA120 £9.

[See Malta-Parish for bibliography.]