One very old tradition, which is still observed today, is the races held as part of the Imnarja celebrations on the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul. These races were common in many of the local feast. These days, there are only horse races, but in the past, races were also held with donkeys, as well as races for children, men, and slaves. It seems that these races, which take place in the afternoon on the road that from is-Saqqajja (Rabat) leads to Siġġiewi—Triq it-Tiġrija, in English Racecourse Road—have always been of great importance to the public. The eighteenth-century historian Canon Aguis de Soldanis attests to this, when criticising the people for spending long hours in the sun when compared to the lack of patience they exhibited during liturgical celebrations. It is amazing how certain customs and attitudes haven’t changed much throughout the centuries!
At the end of the race, the Grandmaster would present flags—palijiet in Maltese—as prizes to the winners. Originally, these awards were distributed from a wooden pavilion at the end of Triq it-Tiġrija. Towards the last quarter of the seventeenth century, plans were drawn up to build a permanent structure. This pavilion was designed by Lorenzo Gafa and was completed in 1696.
Apart from this date, on its wall we also find an inscription in Latin which says: CUI LEGITIME CERTAVIT, referring to a verse from St Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy which states: “In a similar vein, no athlete can receive the winner’s crown unless he has competed according to the rules” (2 Tm 2:5). This is not the only time St Paul uses metaphors relating to athletic competitions to describe the Christian life. In the Letter to the Philippians, the end of the race is associated with the final goal of the Christian life: our final union with Christ (Phil 3:14). This is why he insists with the Corinthians that, if athletes strive for a prize that fades away, how much more should we struggle for that which we know cannot be taken from us and is never-ending (1 Cor 9:24-27).
May we also, in our race of life, not toil for things that do not last, but like St Paul live serenely, knowing that in all that we do we are fighting the good fight, running to finish the race, and keep the faith to the end (2 Tim 4:7).