Ix-Xalata is Lejla Maltija's
new song. The Maltese summer is a time for celebration. Almost every
Parish Church celebrates the feast of it's patron saint. The large
number of Churches means that there could be as many as four or five of
these feasts per weekend. The feast includes brass bands parading
through the streets of the Parish starting on Friday evening, Saturday
Morning and Evening with the solemn Parish procession on Sunday.
Traditionally the parishers take a day off the following Monday to
invade the beach for a full day. The trip to the beach would take a long
time as the buses - ix-xarabank were slow and the roads rough. For
islanders living in the centre or in the south - the sandy beaches of
Mellieha were far away and not an everyday option. This meant that Ix-Xalata
was a grand affair with people carrying bags of food and drink,
umbrellas, together with their children and neighbours, finally invading
the beach till sunset.
Ix-Xalata
Mgħobbi ix-xarabank,
It-Tnejn filgħodu ta wara il-festa ta l-Annunziata
Mhux ghal gwerra dan it-tank,
Armat bil-qoffi u l-umbrellel għax-xalata
Ix-Xalata
Mgħobbi ix-xarabank,
Nieżel in-niżla ta Alla u Ommu lejn il-bajja tal-Mellieħa,
Igerger qisu tank,
Imma ir-raħlin ma jagħtux kasu f’ din il-ġurnata hekk sabiħa.
Ix-Xalata
It-tnejn ta wara il-festa,
Tal-paroċċa kollha lesta,
Biex jiċċelebraw, u jixxalaw,
Jqajmu il-bajja qishom tempesta.
Lyrics by Mario Cordina for Lejla Maltija
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