This year’s San Lawrenz Christmas Pageant, is taking place on Saturday, when the village will be transformed into a a living Bible to narrate the most beautiful story ever told.

The story of our salvation will evolve as the evening goes on. It starts from the village’s Parish Church, this unique pageant will take place on the church parvis and main streets of San Lawrenz, including the use of some of the village’s households. Many of villagers takes part in this Pageant.

San Lawrenz Christmas Pageant is organised by the San Lawrenz Local Council with the cooperation of the Ministry for Gozo and the Parish of San Lawrenz.

This pageant has a long tradition. A couple of years after the Second World War, the parish priest Dun George Debrincat succeeded in producing a musical nativity play.

The participants were all males except for a few girls under twelve years who had a minor role. There were many hurdles to be surmounted. Costumes had to be sewn, scenes had to be painted, and so on, and all in a very difficult time.

Their efforts were rewarded with the event well attended. In the journal Ghawdex it is noted that the play It-Twelid ta’ Gesu Bambin was a great success and about 3000 people attended.

However the first real pageant was performed in 1969, when George Borg discovered that the costumes of those early productions had survived.

With just twelve days to go before Christmas Eve, he announced that they were to be put into use again, for the first Christmas pageant, when forty characters took part.

More and more people have joined in over the years, and nowadays over hundred and fifty take part in this very popular, annual and unique pageant.

Be sure not to miss this beautiful spectacle. It takes place in the Main Square and along the streets of San Lawrenz, next Saturday, the 17th of December, from 7.30pm onwards.

Photograph: San Lawrenz Parish

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