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Malta's First
Wine Travel Guide
places to
see, where to stay or sip!
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TRAVEL GUIDE |
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Bins,
Bazaars
and the
Bizarre
" Village bazaars
double up as the place for catching up on gossip, Malta's national pastime."
The most ancient
craft tradition in Malta, rooted firmly in the prehistoric age, is that of
pottery-making. As can be seen from some of the splendid Tarxien Temple
figurines (visit the Tarxien Temple, Saflieni Hypogeum and the National Museum
of Archaeology), pottery was always an important form of self-expression.
Today, pottery crafts are still evident, with one of the most popular being that
of the ‘pasturi', the figurines that fill-up the Christmas Crib. The first
imported Italian 'pasturi' were very expensive and most people couldn't afford
them. As a result, locals started making their own 'pasturi' from rough clay and
plaster. This became so popular that nowadays every Christmas exhibitions of
hand-made cribs and ‘pasturi' are displayed for the public.
Although relatively modern, glass-blowing in Malta is an ancient
technique that found its way to the Maltese islands during the Phoenician period
around 3000 years ago. It is entirely mouth blown and hand-made, as it was in
the old days, and much of the glassware today is a type of original Maltese
glass with strong Mediterranean colours. The complicated process begins with
multi-coloured beads, which are blown into any shape. Clear glass is then placed
around the coloured glass and a shape is given to form particular designs.
Another craft, which flourished particularly under the Knights, is gold and
silverware. Malta's most precious production is filigree and jewellery.
This is still a thriving tradition, the work of which is often exported to major
cities abroad. Cities like our capital, Valletta, are bursting with local
jewellers, all of which provide a range of traditional, as well as modern
Maltese creations.
From the time of the Knights, life in Gozo as well as the rural areas of Malta
was relatively harsh. So craft industries became a main source of income for
rural families, namely embroidery, weaving and lace-making. The traditional
lace is known as ‘bizzilla' and this craft was introduced to Malta by the
Knights of St. John. It was called bobbin lace and was very popular for ruffs
and collars in the 16th and 17th centuries. Maltese bobbin lace is made with a
number of threads which are wound upon an elongated wooden bobbin or spool. A
special long cushion called ‘trajbu' is used as a base for the lace creation.#
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How
Village Bazaar
Bazaars are small shops that breathe the atmosphere of a market place and they
certainly have a busy market feel to them. The village bazaar is an Aladdin’s
cave, not for all that glitters, since it’s bound to stock just about any useful
little thing a home and family could want – from everyday items like light
bulbs, food containers, preserving jars, dustbins and plastic buckets, to
seasonal goods like cheap plastic Christmas trees, fans for cooling and gas
heaters for a wintry night. The bazaar is always the first to signal seasons
changing. Need a belt, shoe lace or hair grips? The bazaar is the place. The
bazaar is often named after its owner like ‘Maria’s Bazaar’. Most of these
corner shops double up as the place for catching up on gossip, the national
pastime.
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Maltese capers, a less messy souvenir when
preserved in a jar. |
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Bin(ned) treasures
Brass door knockers:
In Mdina residences sport some of the largest, most lovingly polished and
ancient examples. A shop there conveniently sells the popular designs – dolphins
and Bacchus heads.
Hand-blown glass:
Not exactly your Riedel quality, but a close Maltese exponent is Mdina Glass.
Get down to the factory at Ta’ Qali Crafts Village to see wonderful works of art
created right in front of your eyes.
Filigree silverware:
Any jeweller in Malta will have a selection of items of filligree, said to have
been perfected in Malta several hundred years ago to please knights’ and
priests’ tastes for adornment.
Fly-swotters:
Unbelievably sold as souvenirs, these have a cult following in places as
far-flung as Austria and Australia (though in the latter, a country renowned for
cork-hung hats, the swotter might perceivably be of use).
Hand-made lace:
Some beautiful pieces to adorn your coffee table, using combini. Gozo is trying
to regenerate the industry and the university here runs a diploma in lace-making
studies. But do look at the labels and make sure that it’s locally made.
Hand-knitted woollen garments:
Not exactly at the cutting edge of haute tricot as designs never change. But
solid sellers from the Crafts Village at ta’ Qali and the market at it-Tokk in
Gozo. It’s widely displayed for sale even when temperatures are hitting 40
centigrade.
Religious artefacts:
Kitsch for some, holy objects of desire for others, you can pick up some
delightful items from village stores to that shop in Merchants street. You can
take your pick from bleeding heart madonnas, various gory crucifixions, a saint
of your choice or a chalice for your claret.
Model buses:
Most visitors love the old Malta buses, while most regular commuters are quite
happy to hop on the new comfortable breed of ‘made in China’ buses. The Malta
bus has spawned a vast souvenir industry from badges and plaques to metal and
pottery miniatures.
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Sunday Markets
In certain Maltese villages, the silence of
the very early hours of the morning is broken by the bustling of buyers and
cries of sellers in the traditional Maltese markets. They provide not only a
place for buying daily necessities but for catching up with the news of the
village. For everything from clothes to household items, the Sunday market
outside Valletta is a must visit. But for a real taste of Malta's
traditional market, a trip to the Marsaxlokk fish market in the old fishing
village is imperative, where vegetables and fresh fish, as well as
traditional souvenirs and crafts of Malta are on sale every Sunday morning.
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