The annual street-bound Passion play L-Imsallab fi Triqatna was organised by L-Ghaqda Dilettanti Gimgha l-Kbira – Ghawdex. This year marked the tenth anniversary of the group’s first passion play production staged at the Oratory Don Bosco in 1999.

The collaboration between these two NGOs resulted in the first passion play in the streets of Victoria in the year 2000. Throughout the years this pageant continued to be enriched with new costumes, props and participants under the direction of George J Cassar.

The pageant’s main roles are very aptly brought to life by some of Gozo’s best actors namely Gordon J Grech in the role of Jesus Christ, Jamie Camilleri as Malchus, Franco Azzopardi as Peter, Carmel Theuma as Judas Iscariot, Lara Mompalao as Mary, Carmel Camilleri as Pontius Pilate, George Sacco and Joseph Tabone as Annas and Caiaphas and Paul A Stellini as Herod.

This year we also saw the debut of Josmar Saliba in the role of the apostle John. A group of actors from Haz-Zebbug’s St Philip Band Club and the Legio X Fretensis re-enactment group also took part together with a multitude of other extras as the crowd, Jewish and Roman soldiers.

The activity which started from the Oratory Don Bosco proceeded through the streets of Victoria where different episodes of the last days of Christ were acted out in various stations culminating in the Sanhedrin process and trial before Pilate in Republic Street and the Crucifixion just beneath the Citadel bastions. The members of the large audience present, composed of Gozitans, Maltese and foreigners, followed the scenes attentively moving from one act to the other.

Photograph by Charles Spiteri – The Passion play L-Imsallab fi Triqatna.

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