Gozo – Faith and Tradition, second edition, was officially launched today by the Minister for Gozo, Dr Anton Refalo. and takes place between the 20th of March and the 5th of April.
This year Gozo Channel are offering reduced ferry fares for the weekend of the 20th to the 22nd of March. Passenger fares will be €1.50 instead of €4.85 and car and driver will be €8.50 instead of €15.70. So it will be the perfect opportunity to visit the island for the build-up to Easter.
The Minister for Gozo, said that in the past Easter events and activities were not given the attention that it had deserved by the media. He added, that “this year however, events across Gozo will be transmitted live and a promotional DVD will be released at a later date.
“This year we made arrangements for various initiatives to take place in villages and towns across the island, all of which will be described in a promotional booklet which will be distributed to households, as well as posters and ongoing continuous promotion on the media and on social networking via the facebook page Easter in Gozo.”
The GTA, the Gozo Business Chamber, the MFA and Local Councils have all be sent details of this year’s events.
The programme of activities are being organised by the Ministry for Gozo, in collaboration with Gozo Channel, the Gozo Diocese, the Malta Tourism Authority, The Duke Complex, along with other entities on the island.
Gozo is a very special place to be during the Lent and Easter period, with many religious events taking place in villages across the island:
Easter is the greatest feast in the Christian calendar since it commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, a festival celebrating the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and includes various events of religious and traditional activities, such as processions, pageants, exhibitions and folklore.
Starting on Easter Saturday or Easter Vigil, the parishes of Gozo, as in Malta, will gather the faithful in their churches for a solemn religious service and the traditional rituals of the blessing of water and fire.
The church lights are turned off, and each of the congregation will light a candle from the Pascal Candle, resulting in the whole church being bathed in the glow of flickering candles
Bells ring out across the island and the scriptures are read and sermons delivered before the celebrant blesses the holy water that is used for baptisms and the whole congregation confirms their faith by reciting the baptismal vows. After the service the congregation may linger for a while in the church for a drink, or to take a piece of the traditional Figolla (Maltese almond Easter cake).
Easter Sunday is welcomed with bells ringing out across the islands, a traditional march with the statue of the risen Christ will take place in some parishes following the service. These traditional marches are usually accompanied by local bands and their popularity has remained undimmed through several centuries.
The full programme of events for Lent and Easter can be found on the Easter in Gozo [1] Facebook Page.