by Marie Claire Tonna

Steven Vella, presently a university lecturer teaching Visual Anthropology has carried out an innovative and didactic study on the feast of the Naxxar village, renowned for Christianity due to the warm welcoming of St.Paul. A most striking aspect of the 26 minute film is the way he managed to encapsulate aspects crucial to a good ethnographic work such as the relationship between genders, status and role, patriotism, emotion, division and unison and most fundamentally, group work which would not have enabled the feast to take place successfully.

By employing participant observation, the author persistently followed the men in charge of the organisation of the feast with a camera placed over his shoulder. I say men intentionally in order to bring to surface the fact that women considered themselved to be unworthy of being filmed. They felt that it was the men who carried out the feast since it involved plenty of heavy labour due to the carrying of statues and the assembling of props and decorations. Perhaps this obligatory exclusion, also resulted due to the fact that there was lack of access from the author’s part, being a male cameraman. Therefore, women in the Naxxar village tend to be more conservative and seek to be humble regarding extracurricular events. Therefore there is an element of patriarchy and perhaps hierarchy between the men’s assistance and roles in the event.

The author captured various conversations between the men during their tasks such as hauling the statue into place, carrying the statue during the procession, cleaning and polishing and other tasks that continue to enhance the festive and religious environment. When watching the film one realizes that a fundamental characteristic that enables the feast to flow so incredulously well is the effort and dedication those in charge place in the feast. Motivation and determination is clearly evident in each of these men who feel devoted both to the catholic religion and to their birthplace which they see as their duty even though it is voluntary work. One man was emphatic that even though he lives in a different village with his wife who was also not from his village, he still regularly attends Sunday mass at Naxxar, his childhood home.

The feast had many characteristics which could have been studied in minute detail however the author felt that it was best to give an overview of the whole event rather than focusing on certain elements which are nonetheless interesting and illuminating such as the rivalry and competition between band clubs which can be studied in their own right. Rather he was able to bring to light the emotions of youngsters and adults participating in the feast, many who offered gold jewelry as a token of their gratitude and devotion to Our Lady. The jewelry was shown as they prepared the statue for the feast day.

If one had to take the Durkheimian perspective which can be applied to other feasts one could say that during the feast, the collective effervescence is heightened to create a dramatic and emotional aura. Therefore it was skill and the ability to capture the vernacular, seizing the sights and sounds on film that enabled the viewer’s perspicacity in the action behind the scenes in the Naxxar festa.
Steven is currently working on a project on Asylum seekers where the Anthropology Society was instrumental because the project also features the Ethnic Meal hosted by the society in December 2005. For more information, click on Past events link.