by Sofia, age 9, asks when Christmas started, about the Mediterranean Sea, and the presepju tradition
Dear Santa,
Bongu from Valletta. My name is Sofia and I am 9 years old. My grandfather makes the most beautiful presepju every year, a whole miniature nativity scene with tiny clay figures he has been adding to since he was younger than me, spread across our whole dining table.
My first question is a history one: when did Christmas actually start being celebrated?
My second question is geography: what sea surrounds Malta?
My third question is from school: what is a presepju, and why is it so important in Malta?
I left you a slice of qaghaq tal-ghasel, a treacle ring pastry, and a small cup of tea.
Love, Sofia, age 9, Valletta, Malta
From the Desk of Father Christmas
Dear Sofia, that treacle ring pastry was rich and wonderful, and I would love to see your grandfather’s presepju one year. Now, to your history question and the others.
When did Christmas start being celebrated?
The clearest early record of Christmas being marked on the 25th of December comes from the year 336, in Rome, during the reign of the Emperor Constantine, who had recently made Christianity a legal religion across the empire. Before that, the exact date of the birth of Jesus was not written down, and different Christian communities had marked it, if at all, on different days. Once the 25th of December was settled upon in Rome, the celebration slowly spread outward across the empire and beyond over the following centuries, picking up new customs everywhere it travelled, eventually reaching every corner of the world, tiny Malta very much included.
What sea surrounds Malta?
Malta sits in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, roughly between Sicily and North Africa. Being such a small island right in the middle of an ancient trading sea has meant that over thousands of years, many different civilisations, from the Phoenicians to the Romans to the Knights of St John, have all left their mark on Malta’s history.
What is a presepju?
A presepju is the Maltese word for a nativity scene, and creating one is a treasured Maltese Christmas tradition, often built with great care using clay or paper figures, sometimes even entire miniature villages surrounding the manger. Families like yours often build on the same presepju for generations, adding new figures over the years, which turns it into something not just decorative, but a small, growing piece of family history.
Give your grandfather’s presepju a careful look for me, and I shall see you very soon.
Ho ho ho, Santa
