Experience the timeless story of Nativity

Somewhere, on a tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean, several local volunteers are in the final-touches stage for the fourth edition of Bethlehem f’Għajnsielem, the event that has enchanted thousands of visitors over the past two years. The nativity village is situated adjacent to the Għajnsielem main square, on the island of Gozo, just 5 minutes by walk from Mgarr Harbour. Appropriately called “Bethlehem f’Għajnsielem”, this life-size crib, constructed on 20,000 square metre (sqm) of fields on a stretch of land known as Ta’ Passi, comes to life during the month of December with about 150 actors taking visitors back in time to Judea of 2000 years ago. The atmosphere will simply be unique… horses turn mills, villagers go about their jobs, shepherds inhabit caves, animals roam in enclosed spaces and a poor unknown couple tend their newly-born in a grotto... It promises to bring the timeless Christmas story to life as never before.

Video Clips
2010 Animation | Prime Minister's Inauguration Speech | Promotional Video

A successful story
When visiting the live crib one finds it very hard to believe that until October of 2008 Ta'’ Passi fields were an eyesore, uncultivated and abandoned, accumulating refuse. The NGOs of Għajnsielem, with the full support and the financial backing of the Għajnsielem Local Council decided to take on what turned out to be a very ambitious and complex project. In the space of a few weeks, they managed to clean up and rehabilitate the area while converting it into a crib along the basis of those we build at home, only larger, much larger. The experiment turned out to be such a huge success that in the space of a month, the nativity village managed to attract tens of thousands of visitors from all over the Maltese islands. It is no secret that the success of the event was owed to the artistic and creative abilities of project director Mr Franco Ciangura. Today, the ‘Fondazzjoni Bethlehem f’Għajnsielem’ has been established to take on the responsibility of organizing the event which is still fully sponsored by the Għajnsielem Local Council in collaboration with the Central Government and a number of strategic partners.

See the Nativity Village Map  |  360° Panorama

A unique experience
Bethlehem f’ Għajnsielem offers a naturalistic reproduction of the environ of Bethlehem of 2000 years ago. On entrance, a map is given to all visitors to enhance the overall experience. Attractions include the carpenter and blacksmith’s dwellings, the bakery, an open-air market selling seasonal fruits, fish and a wide selection of vegetables, a local crafts area promoting traditional skills and folklore, a tavern, a farmhouse with panoramic roof and the Bethlehem Inn. Each dwelling is inhabited and animated by whole families, to remind everyone that Christmas is a celebration of the family. The tavern offers local food and wine while the picnic area offers a unique surrounding for a family outing on Sundays. Oil lamps will be distributed for those who want to visit the live crib by night. Fresh water will be flowing along these structures through a small stream with various water features. The main attraction is certainly the grotto, with baby Jesus in the caring hands of Mary assisted by Joseph with a donkey and a cow close by.

Other YouTube Videos
2008 Edition  |  2009 Edition  |  The volunteers at work 

Going Green...
The organizers are also working hard not just to make it bigger and better but also to make it safer and greener! Several environmental-friendly initiatives were taken and as a result, the foundation was awarded the ISO 14001:2004 by the Malta Standards Authority making it the first NGO in Malta and the first organisation in Gozo to receive such certification by the MSA. It is worth noting that several indigenous trees have been planted at ‘Ta Passi’ fields while hundreds of cypress tree seeds are distributed to visitors in collaboration with Eco-Gozo. Plastic materials and construction waste have been considerably reduced while several waste separation bins have been placed around the fields. Thousands of school children are given an educational booklet printed on recycled paper during their visit. Visitors are also being encouraged to use public transport when travelling to visit Bethlehem f’Ghajnsielem. The final message is that Christmas is a time NOT to cut down trees, but to plant them… it's about birth and life and not destruction.

Click here to view our environmental-friendly initiatives

The Bethlehem Inn
This year's edition of Bethlehem f’Ghajnsielem will again feature the ‘Bethlehem Inn’, a two-storey hotel with four rooms that will be available for rent! Each of these rooms will be decorated and styled to resemble an inn around the time of the birth of Jesus Christ while enjoying the view of the village centre at the back, and at the front the breathtaking view of the nativity village with Mgarr Harbour in the background. Those interested to live this wonderful experience are given the option to choose either a 1-night stay or a 5-day package at the Grand Hotel with one of these nights spent at the Bethlehem Inn. Those on the 5-day package are given the advantage of having their room at the Grand Hotel still available when spending the night at the Inn, which means that in effect they don’t have to relocate. During the day, ‘residents’ can try hands-on farming. There are also horses, donkeys, goats and sheep to feed along with a wide variety of poultry. Residents are also given the unique opportunity to animate during the regular opening hours of the nativity village, by dressing up in period costumes to become the shepherd tending the flock, or the baker’s assistant baking bread.

Click here for further rates and reservations details of the Bethlehem Inn

Additional Attractions
Bethlehem f'Ghajnsielem will also include re-enactments of the ‘trip’ from Nazareth to Bethlehem of Joseph and Mary as well as the Adoration of the Magi on the Epiphany (8th of January 2012) when the three Wise Men will depart on horseback from the village of Mellieha in Malta to Cirkewwa terminal where they will board a ferry in mid-afternoon before making the triumphal entrance to the nativity village.

'Bethlehem f' Għajnsielem' will once again bring this timeless nativity story
to life in a unique experience not worth missing! The nativity village opens on Sunday 11th December 2011 and will be ANIMATED as following:

Visitors can choose either to leave their car at Cirkewwa Terminal and walk up to the crib from Mgarr Harbour or park their car in the Għajnsielem centre and walk down to the entrance.

No bookings are required.  Entrance to Bethlehem f' Għajnsielem is FREE.