The Maltese explain that their game is probably their own version of a now-lost Neapolitan tradition of celebrating weddings or religious festivals by hanging food on a stick smeared with grease. The old Neapolitan chronicles tell of people losing their lives there, as they were very high poles, and falling when you touched a piece of ham with your fingers was dangerous. The people of Malta were smarter. Why should you risk your life if you could have a sweeter fall? For at least five centuries in the main ports of the island, when summer arrives, the Il-Gostra ritual is set in motion. Especially popular are the competitions in Msida and St. Julian’s, two of Malta’s seaside towns. If in Msida there is a more festive atmosphere, in Sant Julià they take it more seriously.
The idea of Il-Gostra is as simple as it is difficult to execute. Unlike the Neapolitans, here the pole is not raised vertically. They leave it diagonally with the base firmly on the port and the whole body extended over the water, which allows that in the event of a slip the fall is in the water. In fact, once you get on the pole you know you’re going to have to swim, there’s no way out. The key is whether you’ll manage to get your head soaked as a champion or with the face of few friends. It is quite an honor for the Maltese to be able to take home one of the three prizes at the end of the pole: three flags.
To get there, you have to walk over the pole, which has been well greased with lard, which makes it very difficult to maintain stability. Contestants therefore tend to accelerate to try to get as far as possible, although the more experienced ones dazzle by keeping their balance on the fat with good footwork. Since the Maltese are a very religious people, partly because they were repeatedly attacked and besieged by the Ottomans for a handful of years, the three flags have religious significance. The first is the one dedicated to Santa Maria, in white and blue colors. The second is yellow and white, that is, the flag of the Vatican, to remember Malta’s ties with the Pope. The third is very curious, as it is the one from Belgium. Since the Il-Gostra is held for the first time every year on Saint Julian’s day, a few years ago they decided to update the flag by putting the flag of Belgium, since tradition says that this saint was born in a town which would now be within the territory of this state. Thus, a modern, 19th century flag of a country that did not exist before has ended up within an older tradition. As the festival of Sant Julià is at the epicenter of this traditional sport, the residents of the port of Sant Julià live it with a passion that leads them to cry if they don’t get their way. In fact, only people who are part of the organization of the Sant Julià patronal festivities can participate in the game. It must be from the community.
Despite the fact that today the competitors fall in the water in front of many tourists and people who have come to live on an island that has bet on digital businesses to attract money, Il-Gostra is still very much loved by the Maltese people, who he lives with madness another sport: pétanque. In this case, a version. But that’s another story.
