Għajnsielem residents are busy designing, measuring and sewing the clothes they will wear this Friday for their annual march.

But when they step out for Il-Marċ ta’ Balzunetta, participants will be dressed in outfits cut from exactly the same cloth – a uniquely patterned kilometre-long piece of fabric.

The annual tradition began in the 1980s when a small group of revellers arrived at the band march in outfits created from the same material. And it took off from there.

The entire community will wear festival clothes cut from a single piece of fabric measuring one kilometre long. Photo: Charles Buttigieg

Every summer, a unique fabric is picked by l-Għaqda tal-Armar, the group that organises the Gozo town’s week-long feast. It is sold in measured portions to those in the local area, then fashioned into various garments by relatives and seamstresses. 

Maria Grech spent €27 on three metres of the cloth, which she has used to make small dungarees for her 16-month-old son as well as a bandana for her dog, Coco.

“The atmosphere is amazing when you see everyone wearing the same print,” she said. “Even people from outside the village sometimes manage to get their hands on some fabric to come celebrate with the locals.”

The colours selected for id-drapp tal-festa are usually shades of white and blue, a nod to the Virgin Mary. This year’s design is bedecked with orange and pink blooms on a blue background.

Justin Luke Buttigieg, head l-Għaqda tal-Armar, told Times of Malta that over 1,500 metres of fabric were distributed in the community ahead of the march from Imġarr Road to the village’s central square.

Maria Grech has fashioned a bandana for her dog, Coco from this year’s festival fabric. Photo: Maria Grech

“Having people of all ages from newborns to senior citizens dressed in matching fabric creates quite a spectacle. Anyone attending the Balzunetta march can enjoy witnessing this tradition where everyone is dressed the same but is different at the same time.”

Asked about the significance of the tradition, mayor Kevin Cauchi reflected that it “symbolises the coming together of the whole community, joining and celebrating together their devotion towards the Madonna ta’ Loreto”.

There is also a fundraising element.

Profits of the cloth sales are all re-invested, put towards “feast expenses” and necessary renovations of the decorations that line the streets.

The Għajnsielem feast has two other unique traditions.

One involves hundreds of watermelons, which are hollowed out by younger members of the community and filled with a special punch. This, Cauchi explained, “is so the locals don’t waste time to go and get a drink at the bar”.

The second distinctive aspect is how the celebrated town statue of Our Lady of Loreto is transported to its pedestal at the end of the parade, among chants of ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Viva x-Xemx’.

In another unusual sight, the statue ‘flies’ instead of being carried. Photo: Charles Buttigieg

Unlike the figures at other feasts, the heavy statue is tied to a cable suspended over the square. Instead of being carried, it ‘flies’ to its pedestal from the church parvis, crossing the crowds of people in their matching festa clothes below.

This unusual transportation marks the moment when, according to tradition, “the house of Our Lady was carried by angels to Loreto, Italy”, Cauchi said.

“It is a truly beautiful scene to witness,” he added.