MALTA: Birkirkara - Feast of St Helena 2009

[emadorcam]

whenever I visit malta to see my family and enjoy the feast of st Helen..I always think Nahh I have enough pics of Her...But i can't help taking more ,she's magical.:-).Also a bit of Trivia..St helen is patron saint of engaged couples I was told yrs ago:-).

Regards.enjoy the feast and have a drink in our name..a Kinnie or a Shandi:-)

[JasAlf5959]

@emadorcam Just as you, I can't help but keep taking pics of Her and even take some more pics of Her whenever we visit the Church. Re St Helen is patron Saint of engaged couple, I haven't heard about it but would ask the Karkarizi when we visit the feast. Yes, we will have a drink in your name :))

Wishng you and your loved ones and all Karkarizi It-Feast t-tajba.

Jasmine

[emadorcam]

Thanks Jasmine and Alfred, we look forward to this year's video of this feast. yes it's a very solemn one and most of the residents of B"Kara regard it highly.I used to live in the square so each time I see a movie I look out for my house:-).

Regards Doris Camilleri.

[JasAlf5959]

@emadorcam Greetings from Malta. You're most welcome.We enjoyed the B'Kara Feast very much and look forward to this year's feast. The titular statue is so beautiful. In fact, I took many photos of Her, the Parish Church, the Square and also various streets and corners and posted them on facebook. We love visiting your village and do some shoppings there for festive seasons. People there are so friendly incl. the shop owners & workers who are kind and helpful. Warm regards, Jasmine & Alfred.

[emadorcam]

Kemm Kantajtu meta kont zghira.. gibtli hafna memorji..proset.

[JasAlf5959]

@emadorcam Greetings from Mosta.Thank you very much for the compliments. Wishing you il-Festa tajba. Viva Santa Helena!

Warm regards,

Jasmine.

[PHAMTON49]

Left me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye . Thank you so much.

[JasAlf5959]

@PHAMTON49 Greetings from Malta. Thank you indeed for the comment and appreciation. The feast is truly awesome, very solemn and well organized. We have planned to visit this beautiful feast again and doing our best to make a new video recording with our new camcorder. This video was recorded with my digital photo camera which didn't come out that great due to the old software that we used.

Warm regards,

Jasmine

[17baj]

tista tghili jekk joghgbok l-antifona min fejn gibta ghax veru sabiha

grazzi

[ShirleyJean1000]

Thank you Alfred for telling me about this video. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the pageantry of this event and found the accompanying music most stimulating. I'm still amazed by the strength and synchronization of the "bearers" and especially the way they "picked up the pace" as they neared the Church. Thanks again for drawing this production to my attention.

[malpen04]

@ShirleyJean1000 Thanks Shirley. That was last year's feast. Same feast is being celebrated this weekend. The bearers pick up a rhytmic pace which helps them move easier. St Helen statue is made of wood and it's one of the most beautiful we have here in Malta.

[maltagrl]

Bis-serjeta, ghiduli ghalfej thobbu lil santa liena (jew il-qaddis/a tar-rahal taghkom) daqshekk? Minix ninsulta, imma genwinament irrid inkun naf ghalfej hawn nies li tant ihobbu il-festa. X'igalkom thobbu il-festa daqshekk?

[JasAlf5959]

@maltagrl - Forsi meta tikber xi ftit u timmatura tkun tista' tifhem l-ghaliex.

Fil-fatt, anke jien nistaqsi lilek, ghaliex taghddi kumment bhal dan meta taf li l-maggoranza tal-Maltin ihobbu lil qaddis jew qaddisa patruni tal-parrocca taghhom u jhobbu l-festi.

Nahseb li ghandek bzon tiehu ftitu pariri.

[maltagrl]

@JasAlf5959 m'ghaddejtx kummenti hekk biex ninsulta. Genwinament ma nistax nifhem ghalfejn hanw nies li jiggennu fuq il-festa. Nifhem li hi xi haga sabiha kulturali u socjali u artistika...imma s'hemmhekk. Ghalfej hawn min jiffissa... u x'jimmotivah biex ikun iffissat? Jekk tista tirrispondini (forsi taf min vera iffissat fuq il-festa u tifhem ghalfejn) napprezza ghax ilni nsaqsi hafna imma kulhadd jahseb li qed ninsulthom! Grazzi :)

[malpen04]

@maltagrl Il-fissazzjoni hija hazina. Jien inhobb il-festi. Immur mall-mara u niehdu gost bil-funzjonijiet tal-knisja, il-baned, in-nar u l-attivitajiet l-ohra.

Hawn min ihobb l-inbid u ohrajn il-whisky. Jien ma nhobbhomx pero' ma nistaqsihomx l-ghaliex ihobbu jixorbuhom.

Jien nahseb li jekk ma tistaqsix aktar u tmur ghal xi festa, nahseb li tiehu pjacir inti wkoll biha. Mur u gawdi l-festi.

malpen04 u jasalf5959 huma t-tnejn taghna.

[maltagrl]

@malpen04 nahseb fhimt il-point of view tieghek... Jiena ateja pero l-arkitettura u arti tal-knisja togobni ghax jin personalment togobni kull tip ta arti. Napprezza il-pitturi u l-istatwi u in-nar u il-muzika.. U filfatt fis-sajf kultant nhobb immur noqod nara dawn l-affarjiet. Imma nieqaf s'hemm. Li ma nistax nifhem huma dawn in-nies li jaqbdu jiggieldu ghall-qaddis taghhom. Nixtieq inkun naf x'inhi id-drive wara dak il-glied, ghax ma jaghmilx sens ghalijja.

[maltagrl]

@malpen04 Biex tifimni bl-ezempju tal-whiskey u l-inbid, nista nghid li nhobb niehu grokk whiskey kultant, u dik it-tazza nbid ta kultant tinzilli ghasel, pero nixtieq inkun naf ghalfejn hawn min jghix biex jixrob l-inbid u l-whiskey (nispera li qed tifhem il-metafora). Insomma, imma ghalina li mahniex iffissati, nistaw dejjem niehdu gost bl-arti, u (fil-kas taghkom) bil-funzjonijiet religjuzi. Grazzi :) il-gurnata t-tajba

[17baj]

u tan-Naxxar le jew??

[malpen04]

Tan-Naxxar ghamilniha wkoll il-festa. Fittex "jasalf5959 naxxar feast" u ssibha.

[Gaboriana]

hi. i am a group member of st helen bells. currently we are trying to set up website of us. if anyone of you are interested to join in our group, come every thursday around 6.30pm at the basilica and ask for johnatan pullicino or else ask me and i will give you my email..

with regards...gabriel

[AngluSabih]

Prosit wahda mil isbah statwi li hawn f pajjizna flimkien ma taghna san gorg gozo

[JasAlf5959]

Grazzi Anglu. Iva, statwa sabieha bhal San Gorg taghna.

[JasAlf5959]

Grazzi tal-kumment.

[salibaalan]

proset hafna tal video. tista jekk joghgbok tghidli minn fejn irnexxielek issib l-innu l-kbir tal ghaqda muzikali sant' elena?

grazzi

[roma437]

Many thanks for this beautiful video. I am from Bkara and was not able to enjoy all the festa.I enjoyed every second of the video and invited my friends and relatives in Malta and abroad to watch it too. Well done and keep up your good work.

Jane

[JasAlf5959]

Thanks Jane and glad it brought joy to your heart. I used to live abroad for many years and I know exactly what it means when our feasts arrive. Luckily today, thanks to Youtube, we can share our beautiful feasts so our fellow Maltese abroad can enjoy them also.

Warm regards,

Alfred

[JasAlf5959]

Thanks Roma437 and we're happy that you enjoyed the video. Thanks also for sharing it with your friends and relatives.

Take care and God bless.

[zrieqi58]

Thank you Jas and Alfred - I so enjoyed this video - I am determined to come next year to see this great feast. My mum was Elena and she came from B'Kara (where else with a name like that?) and I am determined to be there next year!!!! Viva Santa Liena - have lived in UK for over 41 years and have ony seen the festa about 6 times!!!!

[JasAlf5959]

Thanks Zrieqi58 and glad you enjoyed watching the feast of Santa Liena. Hope you'll be able to watch it live next year here in Malta.

[JasAlf5959]

Thanks Edward and glad you enjoyed it. Many Karkarizi living abroad have expressed joy in seeing their feast on yourube.

Prosit to all Karkarizi for a wonderful feast.

Regards,

Alfred & Jasmine

[nitro650]

Very well done to you, This is just awesome being a Karkriz myself it really was an honor to see this and it really is a good memory to those fellow Karkarizi who don't have the luck to be here during this wonderful time of the year. Your work is very much appreciated.

Edward Zammit

[JANDIMMIF]

Very nice video prosit Alfred and Jasmine this festa is close to my heart being from Fleur De Lys we use to go to it, my friends from Birkirkara really enjoyed it, bye friends Jane and Gaetu.

[JasAlf5959]

Thank you Jane & Gaetu. Glad that this video brought you sweet memories and pleased to know that your B'kara friends enjoyed it also.

It is a beautiful feast indeed and was celebrated with great dignity. Prosit.

[sliemalouis]

Proset Jasmine and Alfred for the wonderful video you put together here especially when you mixed video with stills. Again thankyou very much........Louis in Melbourne

[JasAlf5959]

Thanks Louis. It wasn't an easy video to put together but patience is a useful virtue to possess and Jasmine has it.

[dollylove3]

I hope Malta never stop having festas. They are truly a Maltese tradition. Thanks for sharing this with us ex Pats.

Renee

Virginia Beach, U.S.A.

[JasAlf5959]

Thanks Renee for your comments. The feasts are here to stay because the attendance is big. While in Birkirkara, we met friends from Mosta and Zejtun and there were many others from various parts of Malta.

This hold true with other feasts. Even in Zejtun, Qormo and other places we met many "foreigners' there.

Feasts are very beautiful.

[GrFalzon]

Alfred & Jasmine: PROSIT for your gorgeous video. Your wonderful pics/video of the statue of St Helena, the parish church, the procession, the decorations plus the musical accompaniment & hymns & antiphon are a "festa" of nostalgia for this expat.

Grazio (Indiana, USA)

[JasAlf5959]

Greetings our dear Indianense friend, thanks and glad you enjoyed the festa Karkariza. Salvu Psaila could not improve on that statue. It's absolutely beautiful.

We both liked both hymns and the antiphon.

Take care and warm regards.

Alfred & Jasmine

[97641282]

Jasmine & alfred,I'm writing this with tears running down my face.

I always enjoy your videos,but this is certainly one of your best.

As a Karkariz ,I thank you on behalf of every one born in B'kara ,especially the ones living abroad.

Thank you,thank you ,thank you.

John Demicoli -Sydney Australia.

[JasAlf5959]

Your comment makes us very happy, John. Birkirkara feast is one of the best we have. It's the first time Jasmine saw it and she loved it.

To you and all the Karkarizi, PROSIT for a wonderful feast.

Alfred & Jasmine