In Maltese we have several phrases through which we express our good wishes for Christmas. There are direct expressions such as \u201cIl-Milied it-tajjeb!\u201d (\u201cMerry Christmas!\u201d) and then \u201cIs-sena t-tajba!\u201d (\u201cHappy New Year!\u201d) once 25 December has passed. On cards and in official letters we generally combine Christmas and New Year wishes. Then we also have generic expressions such as \u201cAwguri!\u201d or \u201cAll the best!\u201d\u2014the latter probably more common among the more \u201cmature\u201d generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But \u201cAwguri!\u201d and \u201cOl di best!\u201d for what, I ask? Perhaps, some might say, so as not to hurt anyone\u2019s feelings. True, but then we risk falling into the absurdity of celebrating without having any reason to celebrate. And, after all, why should it be offensive for me to celebrate something I believe in, and for others to rejoice with me? I too wish others joy and happiness in a celebration which may mean nothing to me but is meaningful to them. I respect it and I acknowledge it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So perhaps it is better to say \u201cIl-festi t-tajba!\u201d because that is certainly neutral! \u2026 But is it really so? \u201cIl-festi t-tajba!\u201d is not the equivalent of \u201cSeason\u2019s Greetings\u201d in English, as some might believe, as though good wishes were simply part of the decorations that stay up for weeks on end, as if the Christmas season has neither a beginning nor an end. We Christians, who are supposed to know what we are celebrating and truly believe in it, say \u201cIl-festi t-tajba!\u201d in Malta precisely because we believe that the mystery we are rejoicing in during these days is so great that it cannot be contained within a single celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the spiritual preparation of Advent, 25 December is only the beginning! We begin by celebrating the birth of God made man, and we continue to rejoice in this for a full eight days, known as the Octave, during which we celebrate a number of feasts connected with this great birth. We start with Saint Stephen on 26 December, who was the first to be born into heaven after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Then comes Saint John the Evangelist and the disciple closest to Jesus, who, instead of a birth narrative, opens his Gospel with an elaborate theology of this mystery, expressed in poetic language. There is also the massacre of the Innocents by Herod, who, without realising it, were made sharers in the work of redemption. And of course, we cannot fail to celebrate the Holy Family!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These eight days conclude with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, in which we also remember the circumcision of the child after eight days, according to Mosaic law, and the giving of the name \u201cJesus,\u201d which in itself means salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, if you think that all this is enough to convince you how many feasts we have to rejoice in, be patient, because the greatest is still to come\u2014il-kbir g\u0127adu \u0121ej! Although in our country it has lost some of its prominence, the Epiphany of the Lord\u2014the manifestation of Christ to the nations represented by the Magi\u2014is liturgically considered to be on the same level as Christmas. Indeed, traditionally it was given even greater importance, to the extent that the main churches of our island were decorated almost for the titular feast for the Epiphany rather than for Christmas. We see this emphasis also in the different rites of the East, precisely because we rejoice not only with the birth of the Saviour of the world, but even more because he was revealed to us who are not part of the Jewish people, but are children of the nations upon whom the Light has shone and driven away the darkness. In the Latin Rite, this solemnity is extended until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, when the Father revealed Jesus as his beloved Son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With good reason, then, we say \u201cIl-festi t-tajba!\u201d because, through a series of feasts, we celebrate one mystery in its many aspects. And this mystery is so great that, yes, we wish \u201cIl-festi t-tajba!\u201d even to those who do not share our faith, because we also wish for them to taste the sweetness of God\u2019s love for all humanity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"