Carnival in Nadur

by Dr. Mario Saliba

During Carnival time, the call ”Let’s go to Nadur and really enjoy Carnival” is nowadays heard not only around Gozo but also in Malta. Carnival in Nadur is unique because it is spontaneous and everybody does, within limits of course, whatever he or she feels doing.

The main street of the village will be crammed full with thousands of people who enjoy the carousing which goes on into the early hours of the morning during the three days of Carnival.

The creativity and spontaneity of it all makes it special in the Maltese Islands. It is not one organised by the National Festivities Committee or even the Local Council. Subsequently no rules apply. Sunset invites a multitude of masked and hooded creatures to throng the main street in Nadur from the Mnarja Band Club (MBC Theatre) up to Nadur Youngsters’ F.C.. One meets figures wearing all kinds of comic and grotesque costumes, representing all habits of life and streaming off all kinds of frustrations.

There is no end to imagination. The‘maskerati’ get the inspiration from the every day ills and sufferings. Revellers wearing only a sheet or bedspread, in boiler suits, in rags or old clothes, wearing ugly masks or faces representing the world leaders such as American presidents or foreign Prim Ministers. (It is interesting to note that local politicians are not represented at all in Carnival festivities. Does this reflect our lack of humour in real life?). All these personages walk up and down ‘Main Street’ for hours on end. All are covered from head to toe and no one dare stop and unmask these ‘devils’. All one hears is a cacophony of sounds from the blurring of horns, ringing of bells, banging on hard objects, whistling and doing anything, which could add to the din and create a bizarre atmosphere.

It is not uncommon to be able to watch the mimicking of a wedding ceremony, couples in a bed on wheels feigning lovemaking, in exaggerated pregnancy costumes, the trailing of live animals like a sheep, a goat, or a donkey, the carrying of live or dead animals in cages (which in my opinion should be prohibited) and others dressed up as doctors and nurses performing operations by sawing off limbs. All saunter up and down arousing the curiosity of the onlookers who try to identify the real person but of course to no avail as the mask covers it all.

Adding to the hubbub is a popular folkloristic band called ‘Id-Daqqaqa’consisting of seven instruments giving an unremitting melody heard only in Carnival period. It attracts the onlookers and invites everybody to dance to the tune in circles. These local ‘musicians’ stay near the two main wine bars in December 13th Street namely ‘Il-Ma]rag’ and ‘Pupu’s Bar’. In olden days there used to be other bars in other streets that used to host these Daqqaqa. Such bars included ‘ta’ {ummajr’ in Racecourse Street, ‘tal-Kuka’ in St John Street, ‘tal-Gabbu’ in Main Street and ‘tal-Gaba’ in Old Windmill Street.

The band which is grouped on the pavement or inside these bars consists of the ‘Rabbaba’ – a cat or rabbit skin tightened to a tin container with a reed in the middle played by rubbing a sponge up and down by the reed; a pair of wooden castanets, a small drumwith six pairs of circular tin plates fixed round the edge and held in one hand and beaten with the other; the ‘zaqq’ resembling the Scottish bagpipes but simpler like those found in Sicily; the guitar which started being played when the ‘zaqq’ became hard to come by; the triangle played by hitting it with an iron rod and a mouth or hand organ. Originally the hand organ was a simple one with buttons on both sides but the most recent one is more like a piano accordion with a small piano on the right side. Carnival was always very popular in Nadur. Though life was hard and tough, our forefathers found time to relax and enjoy themselves a few days in a year. As far back as 1721, special festivities were organised including the ‘Kukkanja’. On Carnival Monday and Tuesday greasy poles used to be mounted in the square with live animals and baskets full of meat, sausages, eggs and other food items fixed to rope ladders tied from one pole to the other. Mounted on top of the pole was a statue representing fame holding the coat of arms of the Grandmaster. At a given signal the youths climbed the slippery poles, grabbed what they could and then descended down and forced their way through the crowd who did not hesitate to nick some of the spoils. The lucky lad who reached the statue on top used to be given a sum of money. Nowadays this tradition is kept in Nadur by setting up a greased pole in the middle of the square on Sunday, during the Carnival parade organised by the Local Council, and at its top food items are placed hanging from a cartwheel. A number of boys try to go up the pole and grip the dangling objects in the shortest time possible. The boy or girl who succeeds to grip an object/s in the shortest time wins the contest.

Carnival continued to be celebrated in Nadur in front of the popular wine shops up to the end of the Second World War. Festivities lasted a fortnight with revellers drinking wine and pelting the children with confetti. The British forces on the Island used to join in the partying that went on far into the night. No masks however were allowed after sunset.

After the end of the war, Carnival festivities continued to be held in ‘Strada Rjali’ or ‘Triq il-Kbira’ or better ‘Triq Dicembru Tlettax’ as it is known today. In the 1970s however, Carnival was all but dead as the police were very strict and used to unmask everyone they met after dusk to avoid any incidents leading to the breaking of law and order.

These last few years since the set up of the Local Council, Carnival has been revived in our village to the enjoyment of Gozitans and Maltese alike as well as to the tourists who join in the fun. No incidents have been reported for a good number of years but all participants would do well to follow certain basic rules like avoiding wearing uniforms and clergy outfits. Carrying of iron bars, spades and other tools, which could easily be used as weapons should be avoided.

It is a unique experience to be part of this masquerade in Nadur. It is doubtful whether any organised activity can prove to be such an attraction and crowd puller for so long a time in which ‘hypocrisy’ in life is expounded so sincerely and spontaneously.
Nadur Carnival pictures: Please Click Here