Il-Karnival

Lejla Maltija has just released a new track and video for ‘Karnival’ 

Another collaboration with A.M.P. productions the track is about the Maltese carnival and its colourful traditional melange of floats, dance and parades mainly through the streets of Valletta and Floriana Malta.

The track was recorded at AnidroC Studios and composed by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Mario Cordina. (The track also hosts guest singer Jagoda Beltrani.

The video is available below:


Lyrics and translation:

"Karnival”
Lyrics: Mario Cordina

Il-Karnival ....
Ir-rota ddur fuq il-kukkanija,
Il-fama tperper fuq il-belt Maltija.
Tfiegħ ta perlini u il-prinjolata,
Jinġabru il-follol biex jaraw il-parata.

“The wheel turns on the kukkanija,” (A traditional competitive game where a wheel was placed on a wooden pole greased with fat. Men tried to get to the top of the slippery pole to grab prizes hanging on the wheel.)
“The fama flutters on the Maltese city,” (a flag which was the main prize up for grabs on the kukkanija.)
“The throwing of perlini and prinjolata,” (Perlini almond sweets, used to be thrown onto the public and the carnival traditional sweet, the prinjolata.)
 “The crowds throng to watch the parade.”

Darba ir-re tal-karnival,
Kienet xbiegħa fuq-dgħajsa mit-twal,
Iż-zeffiena kienu il-baħħara,
Il-maskarati u il-karrijiet ta-dara.

“Once the King of Carnival,” (In the past, the King of Carnival, now the triumphal float that leads the parade.)
“Was an effigy (statue) on a long boat,” (used to be a statue, probably of pagan and/or Roman religion, that used to be carried over the land back to the sea for the new shipping season. In fact the float is called a 'karru,' a carrier used for carrying boats, like a trailer.)
 “The dancers where the seamen,” (In Roman times these boats would be accompanied by the seamen wearing masks.)
 “The maskarati and the floats of the past.”

 Illum, illum,
 illum il-Karnival.

 “Today is the day of the carnival.”

Stenna, stenna, dieħel il-qabar,
Bir-ragel tat-tiben taħt il-qamar.
Matt-tokki ta nofs il-lejl,
Jintem il-karnival għalfejn.

“Wait, wait, the coffin enters.” (A long lost tradition held that a coffin bearing a man made of straw would be carried into the city at the end of carnival.)
 “The straw man under the light of the moon.”
“At the stroke of midnight,”
“The carnival ends, oh why?” (The carnival used to end at midnight with the burning of the coffin. This tradition was replaced with the burning of the King Carnival float. Today, however due to the mechanical and electric parts built into the float, this tradition has been abandoned.)

Parati, prinjolati, karrijiet u maskerati,
Il-buffun u ‘l balalu, il-karnival tagħna m’għawnx bħalu.
Illum, illum,
Ilum il-karnival.

"Parades and prinjolati, the floats and the masquarades,"
"The buffoon and the idiot, there is no carnival like others."
"Today is the karnival."

Released Sunday 14 February 2016