Posts Tagged ‘Germany’

  • THE MAGIC IS IN THE DETAIL

    St George Preca looking at a crib (Copyright - Fiona Vella)Although the main characters of the nativity scene are Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, different cultures have added and altered the original representation in order to include their own characteristics. Some of these varying interpretations can be viewed in a permanent exhibition at the Inquisitor’s Palace in Birgu, which also houses the National Museum of Ethnography.

    In Malta, it was St George Preca (1880 – 1962) who fostered a lasting Christmas cult through his Society of Christian Doctrine. On Christmas Eve of 1921, he organized the first procession with a statue of baby Jesus. He also started the tradition of giving a crib and a statue of baby Jesus to every child who attended the MUSEUM centres.

    In the exhibition, an image of Preca looks over at a rudimentary crib which has initiated a tradition that is still celebrated nowadays. A detailed diorama portrays further this tradition, showing a MUSEUM Superior handing out a crib to a boy, while a number of other children are already joyfully holding their cribs. An altar which is included in the diorama is decorated with flowing white vetch.

    Detail from a diorama (Copyright - Fiona Vella)Another diorama looks like a time capsule showing the traditional procession of baby Jesus together with other local customs. Not only can one observe the MUSEUM members carrying the statue of baby Jesus, but one can also delight at the children carrying lights and Christmas messages while singing Christmas carols. The context is further enriched by the presence of traditional Maltese town houses, with their colourful wooden doors and with their wide open windows decorated with a small statue of baby Jesus.

    Detail from a diorama (Copyright - Fiona Vella) (2)These two dioramas form part of a set that was donated to Heritage Malta by Austin Galea; a well-established artisan and personality among local crib enthusiasts, and a founding member of the Għaqda Ħbieb tal-Presepju (Malta). The set of dioramas give life to further Christmas traditions, such as the sermon of the altar boy during Christmas’ eve mass, a large crib displayed for public viewing, a group of craftsmen in a workshop manufacturing statues and cribs, and a Christmas lunch being enjoyed by a family.

    A baby Jesus with a soft and translucent finish (Copyright - Fiona Vella)Galea has also donated two large nativity scenes which are typically exhibited in windows of private houses during the Christmas season in Malta. Other donations by him include different traditional statues of baby Jesus. Traditionally, the baby Jesus statues were made of wax to obtain a soft and translucent finish. The statues were eventually dressed up in an embroidered tunic, while many borrowed real hair from a toddler’s crowning curls.

    Rural characteristics in Maltese crib (Copyright - Fiona Vella)A large Maltese crib is also part of Galea’s generous donation. The crib is a comprehensive study of Maltese traditions in itself. Typical Maltese figurines are dressed in traditional local costumes, and among them, one also finds the unique Maltese symbolic characters. The Stupefied figurine represents those who are impressed by the profound meaning of the unique happening. The Beggar represents the poor who find consolation in Christ. The Climber represents those who find it difficult to understand the significance of Christ’s incarnation but strive to discover out. The Folk Singers represent communal association in praising the Lord, while the Sleeper represents those who ignore the immeasurable benevolence of Christ. The rugged landscape with its terraced fields, sparse vegetation, low-profile unpretentious farmhouses and a windmill are reminiscent of the rural ambience of the old times.

    Besides donating his first clay crib figurines which were given to him by his aunties and an unusual crib made of sacks that was constructed by him, Galea shares also his knowledge relating to Christmas crib construction in a short video which forms part of this exhibition.

    Miniature crib at Inquisitor's Palace (Copyright - Fiona Vella)Another intriguing element in this exhibition is the donation of numerous miniature cribs which were brought by Albert and Lina McCarthy from all over the world. The professional tour managers have been gathering this impressive collection since the early 90s. Their collection amounts to more than 500 miniature works of art, a representative selection of which is on display at the Inquisitor’s Palace.

    Exhibited in four different sections, the varying nativity scenes representing North and East Europe, Southern Europe and the Near East, North and South America, and Africa, Asia, the Far East and Australia are simply enchanting. The magic is in the detail of each crib which presents the nativity scene in various contexts, with distinct characters and in diverse materials.

    North Africa nativity scene (Copyright - Fiona Vella)Some of the most notable are the terracotta nativity sets from Hungary and Peru, the ceramic sets from Denmark and the Philippines, the engraved wooden shoe from Amsterdam, the wooden sets of Germany, Austria, Japan and Iran, the metallic artwork from Bali, the sack nativity set from Sri Lanka and the clay figurines of North Africa set in a bedouin tent, dressed in traditional costumes and accompanied by a camel instead of farm animals.

    A visit to this permanent exhibition held at the Inquisitor’s Palace is most educational and entertaining for children, and also curious and insightful for adults. The exhibits are a tribute to local and foreign artisans who have used their creativity to reproduce the significant nativity scenes in various intriguing representations.

    (Published in Christmas Times magazine issue with The Times of Malta dated 7th December 2019)

    2019.12.07 / no responses / Category: Times of Malta

  • ICH LIEBE MALTA

    Rainer Mader (Photo taken by Paul Galea)A little train set ignited a passion for model building in a young boy of three…. Now forty, Rainer Mader reveals that the same passion has kindled an intense fascination for Malta and its culture, its history and its people.

    “It was Christmas and my parents gave me a wonderful model train set which consisted of a black locomotive with three green passenger cars and two other red cars. These model rail sets are very popular in Germany, especially with young children who are delighted and intrigued by the movement of the trains going round on the rails. However, these train sets are also a favourite with adults too who build large landscapes through which the trains can move. Eventually it can prove to be quite an expensive hobby.”

    Sitting in the cosy lounge of Preluna hotel, Rainer explained how he ended up getting hooked on this hobby of model building.

    Rainer Mader Bild Nr 06“I never stopped building models from then on, but when I joined the army, my interest turned onto military modeling. I prefer tanks, trucks and jeeps which I purchase as semi-assembled models. My finished models are around 10 cms and usually I finish them within one day. The most laborious work is the painting, as these models require to have a weathered used look and they actually need a lot of drying time.”

    Rainer admits that he has a rather impatient nature and that once he begins to work on a model, he would want to finish it as soon as possible.

    Rainer Mader Bild Nr 09“I love this hobby because it gives me a rest from my work. Yet being very busy, I don’t have much time available to spend on a model and therefore I choose to work on semi-assembled ones. Nonetheless there are moments when I opt to convert a standard model in order to build a particular one which is not yet on the market. For example, we still have some special American trucks in Germany which are presently changing all the equipment with brand new staff. Now usually that would take about two to four years for the industry to provide an exact model of the new vehicle. So my aim would be to find a similar model of that truck and modify it accordingly in order to possess a small version of the new vehicle beforehand”.

    His first glimpse of Malta back in 1999 was love at first sight…..

    Rainer Mader Bild Nr 05“Malta is totally different from where I live in Aschaffenburg, near Frankfurt in Germany. I remember that what impressed me most was the proximity of the sea. I love the sea… it’s beautiful crystal blue colour, it’s salty smell, and it’s ever changing sounds. It gives me a very pleasant feeling to hear it, smell it and see it everywhere around me here in Malta.”

    His sister introduced him to some of her Maltese friends from Santa Venera and from then on, a long friendship was born where Rainer got to know better the Maltese people and their culture. His interest in Malta continued to grow even further once he discovered the local Association of Model Engineers and became a member there.

    Diorama - van with vegetables and fruit (Photo taken by Carl Mifsud)“The Association organizes an annual model exhibition and in these last five years, I have always participated with my models. Thanks to the AME I met many model enthusiasts and soon we became good friends. One can say that these exhibitions serve as a showcase of our hobby while at the same time they provide an opportunity to introduce and blend different cultures together. For example through these model exhibitions, the Maltese can experience a railway, whilst foreigners can get to know about some local customs.”

    In fact Rainer decided to surprise his Maltese friends by building diaromas which depict the local history and landscape.

    Diorama - girl with donkey scale 1-48 (Photo - Wolfgang Friedrich)“Last year, I was flipping through the pages of a tourist magazine about Malta when I saw some old photos which instilled in me the desire to give them life through my diaromas. My first diaroma represented a van which sold vegetables and fruit. This year I made another two: one showing a woman trying to pull behind her an unwilling donkey, and another one which illustrates a sheperd with his sheep in his farm. These models were very much appreciated during the exhibition and in fact I won a gold medal”.

    Proudly Rainer showed me his dioramas while he tried to describe them in the Maltese language. Being a typical romantic Maltese, I could not help not appreciating this German’s effort to try to speak our language.

    Diorama - the maltese sheperd scale 1-48 (Photo - Wolfgang Friedrich)“I realized that once you start to learn some Maltese, you will increase the possibility of making friends faster. My Maltese friends simply love hearing me speak their language and many of them try to teach me some new words. In fact, a friend of mine who works as a printer, has even printed a dictionary for me with German and Maltese words and the German phonetic way to say them in Maltese. I also bought some books which include CDs of Maltese words in order to learn better the language. By now, I can only speak basic words and sentences but I am adamant to learn more. At times, I find a Maltese word which I do not understand and I ask my Maltese friends to explain to me what it means. Then, each time that I visit again, I love to surprise them with some new expressions that I learn.”

    Cheerfully, Rainer admitted that he is also enthralled by the local food and drink. I was quite amazed when he listed the amount of cans of Cisk and Kinnie, and packets of galletti and Twistees that he takes back with him to Germany to enjoy with his friends. Thinking about it, I thought that maybe each time that he returns back to Germany, Rainer is trying to take a little part of Malta with him.

    Rainer Mader Bild Nr 12“It is true! I came to love Malta and its people very much. In fact from 2003, I visit this island each year, my visits getting more frequent each time, so that now I come to Malta three times a year. Moreover, I have a little calendar at my place of work and while I am waiting for the machines to finish, I just flip its pages and have a look. When I exhibited last year’s diorama in a German exhibition, people  were very curious about it and they asked me from where I got the idea for that landscape. So I explained to them about Malta and I showed them some books about the island. Somehow these dioramas are very special to me and I won’t part with them for anything else.”

    Naturally Rainer is very fond of the local villages which are most near to the sea like Dingli and Xlendi. He strongly resists the idea of a bridge from Malta to Gozo because he claims that it would surely ruin the scenery. He doesn’t like the modern Maltese architecture especially the never-ending apartments which are replacing, according to him, the lovely old houses such as those that up to some years ago, used to be on the Sliema seafront. Moreover he feels perplexed about the permits of huge establishments with not enough parking space inside.

    “When you visit a country so regularly, you tend to become involved more closely to it and to its people. Actually I am also very interested in the local history especially from 1940 till now, particularly the Second World War period.”

    At this point, I could not help asking…. Being a German who has Malta at heart so much, how does it feel to get to know about the participation of the Germans in this war in relation to our islands?

    Ford Mustang 2005 scale 1-25 (Photo - Wolfgang Friedrich)“Surely I am not proud of this history but no one can do anything about it; that was war and thankfully it’s history! I do feel touched when I visit the Malta at War Museum and I see those underground shelters. However though grim and painful, I need to face this history as it also gives me more background for this hobby in model making. Certainly the merging together of different cultures through such activities will help people to relate better to each other, and to establish mutual bonding and respect that will prevent history from ever repeating itself.”

    Rainer gave me the impression that by now his life is divided between two countries. In fact, he came to celebrate his 40th birthday with a very long holiday among his Maltese friends. Curiously I asked him whether he would ever consider to come and live for good in Malta?

    “Għalissa għadha ħolma…. For now it’s only a dream. But probably, when I’ll come to retire from work, this possibility will be very much on my mind. Presently I can only foretell my next visit to Malta in October wherein I intend to present some new dioramas. But that is all I can say… the rest is a secret!”

    (Note: An edited version of this article was published on FIRST magazine Issue June 2012).

    2012.06.15 / no responses / Category: Malta Independent on Sunday - First magazine