The
Organized Carnival of Nadur
-
by Peter Paul Buttigieg
Carnival '95
During
the Council meeting of Monday 30th January 1995, the Local Council
unanimously approved a verbal motion moved by councillor Andrew Muscat
to allocate the sum of LM500 (2500eu) for a Carnival Programme to be
held on Sunday 26th February 1995 between 1.00pm - 4.00pm at Dun Martin
Square behind the Parish Church. Thus a new chapter in the history of
Carnival at Nadur was written - one, which distinguishes itself from the
traditional and spontaneous Carnival, held at night after sunset.
The aims behind the Carnival were:
·
To draw members of different associations are drawn into common
activities.
· To help youngsters form groups and develops their talent while
staying away from illicit substances.
· To increase the popularity of Carnival at Nadur, especially the
spontaneous one, that is the only traditional Carnival still held in the
Maltese Islands.
A
'Sub-committee for the Carnival Activities' was set up to plan and
organize the manifestation. The Committee met for the first time on
Wednesday 9th February 1995.
The programme included a Band March along the main street, a Carnival
poster competition, two dancing groups, costume competition for
children, floats competition with 9 participants, competition for men
dressed up like women, and the 'Kukkanja'. All these were only opened
for Nadur residents.
Carnival '96
Following the previous year's success, the Sub-Committee for Carnival Activities met for its first meeting on Friday 12th January 1996 to plan a Carnival Programme for Sunday 18th February 1996 at Dun Martin Square. A seating stand was erected for the spectators. The programme was similar to the previous year but there were more participants such as: 10 floats, 16 costume competitors for children, 2 costume competitors for the adults and 8 men dressed as women. A jury of 3 members, hailing from other villages or towns, decided the competitions. All efforts proved fruitful. The public in general responded favourably, making it impossible to move among the crowd that thronged the square or find a seat to watch the programme.
One
can say that the basic structure of the organized Carnival had already
established itself, but it continued to evolve to meet the demands of
the participants and spectators alike.
Carnival '97
Preparations for the third organized Carnival started before Christmas with the first meeting of the Sub-Committee for Carnival Activities being held on the 15th December 1996, and a meeting with those who intended to participate in the 'Floats' competition. The problem these were facing was that they did not have adequate workshops to execute their work. All participants kept mum about their projects, the latter getting bigger in size and grandeur. In fact, a clause was added in the rules of the competitions to limit them to 6m height, 11m long and 4m wide in fixed position.
For the first time, the programme was held in the Main Square in front of the Parish Church. A seating stand was erected on one side to accommodate more people, while a stage for the band and chairs for special guests and the elderly were prepared on the other side. The defile of all those participating, together with the Mnarja Band, started from near the Local Council Office and proceeded to the square for the programme.
The Gozo Culture Committee, which is responsible for the organization of the Gozo Carnival in Victoria, invited the floats of Nadur to take part in the defile in Victoria that was held on the last day.
Carnival '98
The
Sub-Committee for the Carnival Activities met for its first meeting on
the 29th October 1997, four months ahead of Carnival, to prepare the
programme. An innovation for this Carnival was the introduction of a
German Band and a Folk Russian Youth Group, thus adding an international
touch to an already rich manifestation. This was made possible through
the Malta Carnival Commission.
Carnival '99 -2000
The programmes followed the previous year's structure with the various competitions participants from Nadur, together with the Foreign Special Guests - Bands and dance Groups. However the artistic level of the Allegory Floats continued to improve so much that the Council though it fit to donate a special bonus to all participants.
Carnival '01
The 2 main innovations were: the Children Carnival held on Friday afternoon, the first day of Carnival and the Council's decision to bring a foreign band, Banda St. Olaf, directly from Sweden. A further development was the Council's decision to become a member of the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC) with a delegation attending the 21st Convention in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Children Carnival is here to stay while for the 2002 Carnival; a Samba Group from Finland has already confirmed its participation.
Thus Nadur has established itself as The Carnival City in the Maltese islands.
