The tradition of the Christmas crib (presepju) is one that goes way back, and specific ones like the yearly traditional Valletta stand near the entrance are a known staple and beloved throughout the island.

However, this year’s presepju – or, until recently, lack of one – has led to a range of problems, most seemingly charged with a heady mix of nationalism and Christmas religiosity.

There had been several public cries for the Valletta presepju to be set up this year – it seems the Maltese public was honestly missing it. This week their prayers were answered and the much-wanted crib was finally set-up… with a push from the Moviment Partijotti Maltin.

The group then posted images with the silhouettes of Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus, and thanked the Valletta Councillor Matthew Carbonaro for helping them get it up and saying that this was “the real Christmas”.

Despite the affiliation with the “patriots”, many Maltese people starting sharing the right wing group’s posts online, to the surprise of others. 

But that wasn’t the end of the controversies that surrounded the crib. Some commenters were upset by the installation of a traditional Jewish Menorah right next to the Catholic installation they had been waiting for all along. 

The Menorah was set up to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hannukah, which runs from 12th – 20th December. 

Upon seeing this, the Parish priest of St. Augustine in Valletta Fr. Deo Debono criticised the “lack of planning” in the placement of these two symbols, and said that if need be, “the crib should be moved so they won’t be next to each other,”.

“Yesterday, someone placed the candelabra of Hannukah next to the crib. Just as us Christians take the opportunity to celebrate Christmas, other people have every right to take the opportunity to celebrate their faith,” Fr. Deo said.

“I complained because they placed them next to each other. We believe that the crib reminds us of how God became man, like us, to bring humanity’s salvation. Now, Hannukah is a symbol of a different faith. Above all else, it emphasises that Christ is not the real son of God, made human. It emphasises that Jesus Christ is not the real Messiah. This is like having a pro-life campaign right next to a billboard of abortion,” he said.

The reaction to Fr. Deo’s words has been mixed – while some agreed with him, many said that “Jews are our brothers in faith” and others saying “the biggest intolerance I am seeing is coming from Fr. Deo Debono. He should be ashamed in this time of coming together.”

With no foreseeable plans to move either the crib or the menorah, one thing is for sure: it’s been a while since a simple Christmas crib caused so many problems. 

What do you think about this year’s Valletta presepju?

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Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]