Mgarr ~ Malta: Purcissjoni tal-Milied B'Gesu Bambin (Children's Christmas Procession)

An old Maltese tradition, the children Christmas procession with baby Jesus (Purcissjoni Tal-Milied Bil-Bambin) through the village streets is held every year in Mgarr, Malta. The traditional procession has been held since the eldest Imgarr resident can remember, and is part of Christmas celebrations and Maltese folklore. As a closely knit roman catholic community, a large part of the villagers attends the yearly procession. All the local children attending the MUSEUM take part. The younger, pre-holy communion members are dressed up as angels and nativity characters, while the older boys and girls either read excerpts from the bible as the processions stops or they participate as altar boys / girls, escorting the procession through the Mgarr streets. A small PA system, built inside a wheeled box with two speakers on a mast is carted around by older boys, and used both to play Christmas carols throughout , as well as by the children who read prayers and verses to baby Jesus. I've uploaded this clip almost as an afterthought, as I initially reckoned the footage wasn't good enough for a proper you tube clip. However, it occurred to me that the Mgarr expats might love to take a glimpse at this year's procession. I'm sure many still remember when they used to take part themselves. Apologies for the video's poor quality. All clips were shot with a Canon HR10 lazily set on full Auto, and surprisingly worked well in low light Had to use the eyepiece exclusively in a bid to save battery power, as I forgot to charge it! I tried to edit the video in a way to give a concise idea of the event, maintaining constant flow. Constructive criticism is very welcome.