Maltese summer skies are dotted with colour. Today we explore Malta’s love story with pyrotechnics, and how we got here.
The love story between the Maltese and pyrotechnics takes us back to the time of the Order. On the feast of St. John the Baptist, celebratory bonfires would be lit, il-Ħġejjeġ ta’ San Ġwann. Soon enough, villages began to compete who could make the biggest bonfire.
When a new Grand Master was appointed and other similarly important occasions, the Knights would offer a salute with the firing of cannons and rifles. Maltese bombardiers got inspired.
The bombardiers were familiar with explosives and so, on the feast of their protector, Saint Barbara, they made their own version of the salute by lighting gunpowder from small bronze barrels, called ‘maskli’.
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Towards the end of the 19th, the Maltese began hiring Italian and Sicilian experts. They introduced us to the first coloured fireworks as well as to the much loved ġigġifogu. These experts were well paid, and guarded their recipes jealously.
So what did the Maltese do? Rumours have it that they wined and dined their guests until they became drunk. While the Sicilians dozed off, the Maltese sneakily copied their recipes.
By pure coincidence, and not at all related to any intoxication whatsoever, we start seeing more advance fireworks by the beginning of the 20th century. Advanced fireworks featured in feasts of Saint George in Qormi, Saint Helen in Birkirkara and Lord Saviour of Lija.
Following Independence, more money started pouring into the Maltese festi. Following the 1990s, more technological advancements were made, with computerised systems and synchronised music featuring regularly.
The pyrotechnic activity in Malta today is among the most advanced in the world, with many Maltese fireworks factories winning multiple international awards.
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