Għajnsielem’s Bethlehem village is back, after the pandemic kept it closed for two years, and is all spruced up to receive visitors again this year, 14 years after the first edition in the town square in 2008. 

Amid the buildings that line a winding path with panoramic views over the channel to Comino and Malta, visitors will find villagers from 2022 years ago going about daily life. It’s a hive of activity as they push wooden carts, bake fresh bread, sell aromatic fruit and vegetables and offer hospitality in the tavern. Visitors can also see the blacksmith and the carpenter at work, watch Romans in an arena and cross a rope bridge to take a trip along a river in a boat. And you’ll find donkeys, sheep and other animals drawn from four different farms across Gozo. 

“From the beginning,” says Franco Ciangura, the driving force behind the village, “I planned to add something new each year, as people do with their own home cribs so it would keep getting bigger and better. We have a large team of volunteers who work hard to make it a wonderful Christmas experience – through we can always use more so if anybody would like to get involved please get in touch.

“The Għajnsielem Council and the Ministry of Gozo has also given us tremendous support over the years – and we are grateful for that. 

“Since September we’ve given the fabric of the village a big overhaul, with new woodwork and plaster. We have also planted trees, olives and indigenous citrus fruits in particular – trees that are widely grown in the Holy Land, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. We have two gardeners who care for the crops in the village all year round. When we first used the Ta’ Passi fields for the living crib the land had been abandoned and we had to clear it of rubbish – it’s amazing to look at it now and know how many thousands of people enjoy them all year round now.

“I grew up here in Għajnsielem and when I was a child, I used to visit Ta’ Passi with my aunt. We’d take a picnic and play in the fields. It was always green and felt like a very special place. It really sparked my imagination and even then I envisioned what it could be like as a giant crib.” 

Ciangura says that he has always loved Christmas.

“As a child I was always the one who made the crib for my family each year, inheriting this pleasure from my father and grandfather in particular. When I first created the Bethlehem village – the biggest crib I ever made, my grandfather was so happy to see it he cried with joy! Although my grandfather has died now, my father is still my right-hand man each year.

“The very first live crib we made in Għajnsielem was in the village square – and my second son played the part of baby Jesus which people thought was a crazy idea back then. We have four or five babies each year, and we have people asking if their baby can be one of them. One year we had 17 babies volunteered from all over Malta. We include the baby’s parents as Mary and Joseph if we can. People love to get involved.

“It's wonderful to have seen those babies grow up, and come back as teenagers volunteering to help keep the village going each year. We also see young parents, who remember the village from when they were children, coming back with their parents and bringing their own babies, and that’s three generations taking photos and building memories. It’s magical.”

This year a special Children’s Day is being organised on December 18.

On Sunday, January 8 the Three Kings will make their way across Malta on horseback. 

“We are inviting children – and adults too – to come dressed as an authentic shepherd wearing long robes in earth colours which we hope will make them really feel part of the village, to experience it rather than simply being a visitor. Children love to dress up for Carnival and Halloween so why not for the nativity story too? The village will look fantastic populated by an additional 1,000 costumed ‘actors’, and for visitors it’ll be like being extras on a film set.”

In fact, the buildings that tumble down the pretty hillside have been used recently to film parts of a programme to air in 2023. A short film, Lazarus, funded by the Malta Film Commission, was also shot here and at the Xwejni salt pans in Marsalforn, to be pitched to Netflix as a series.

“Wouldn’t it be exciting if we could the village could become a permanent set for international film projects in the future! We also use it for other events like a Last Supper and Easter Pageant– it’s such an unusual venue.”

Entrance to the Bethlehem village is free – although Ciangura and his team very much appreciate donations for the village’s upkeep – and visitors can either walk or use a free train to reach the entrance from the ferry terminal. While in Għajnsielem too, visitors should also seek out the giant Christmas tree in the main square, two large Christmas lampposts flanking the church and, new for this year, a pair of enormous chandeliers, 12 feet tall and seven feet wide in the main streets. These have all been constructed from green and white glass bottles and illuminated in green and gold, they are magnificent to behold.

The Bethlehem Village will also be open on January 1 and Sunday 8 when the Three Kings will make their way across Malta on horseback. 

“We have a fresh idea for this too,” smiles Ciangura, “which we hope lots of people will get involved along the route. It’s still in the planning at the moment but keep an eye on our Facebook page for details. We hope to see you there.”