St
Julian's, just north of Valletta harbor, is dotted with tower
cranes as old houses make way for new high-rise apartment blocks
each vying for a view over a bay dotted with restaurants and
colorful boats.
The town's population has swelled with droves of North Europeans
who work in the booming e-gaming industry. Malta has become a
hub for European online gaming, which includes online sports
betting, web-based casinos, poker and other games.
For the last 200 years the bay has taken center stage at the end
of August when the town holds a feast for its patron saint, St
Julian the Hospitaller, and a greasy pole competition is held
off the promenade.
In the tournament, known as Gostra to the Maltese, a 16
meter-pole is covered by 15 liters of lard and fixed at an angle
from the promenade into the sea. Competitors try to grab three
flags at its end – a blue and white one dedicated to St Mary, a
yellow and white one for the Vatican, and the Belgian tricolor,
since St Julian is believed to have been born in the Belgian
town of Ath in 7AD.
To the amazement of tourists, Belgian flags also dominate the
whole town for the four-day festival of which the Gostra is the
main attraction.
Only those who help in the organization of the festival can take
part in the greasy pole challenge. Organizers say participation
has declined while costs, especially for insurance, have soared.
"This is like a football team, you have to be part of the team
to take part," Neville Zahra one of the long-term organizers
said. "For me, it is part of my life."
Participants run up the pole from as far as possible before the
lard and gravity take their toll. As they lose momentum and
traction they either dive into the sea or bravely stretch as far
as they can go for the flags. The watching crowd delights at the
awkward angles at which they invariably fall into the
Mediterranean. A few suffer minor injuries.
Zahra, 37, has taken part in the Gostra ever since he was a
child, and has gone home with several trophies and a few
bruises.
"The trick is to concentrate and not to be scared of it," he
said. "You can get hurt, as in any sport, but you must not let
that get to you."
(Reporting by Chris Scicluna, editing by Gavin Jones and Jane
Merriman)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|