Doll wrapped in rags laid in empty manager

The Malta Independent on line

by Elaine Attard

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=98851


Someone could not stand the sight of the empty manger in the crib put up at Marsaskala playing field, so an old doll wrapped in rags was put in to fill the space.

It was not exactly what the local council had in mind, but the thought behind the gesture was not outrageous – the baby Jesus did not have rich trappings for swaddling clothes, after all.

The manger had no occupant, when the doll was put in, for a reason – the life size model of the baby Jesus had been stolen.

The crib, made of recycled materials, was constructed by Joseph Barbara and was to be inaugurated on Friday. That is when the theft occurred. Mr Barbara provided another baby Jesus by the afternoon just before the inauguration.

After the inauguration, Marsaskala mayor Mario Calleja took the new baby Jesus away, to store it at the local council’s offices and prevent it from being stolen again. The plan was to put it back in the manger on Christmas Eve.

Then came the very resourceful unknown individual who felt the manger couldn’t be left empty during advent, and laid the old doll wrapped in sacks.

“Both the doll and the sacks were probably going to be thrown away, so they really blend with the theme of the crib made from recyclable material. We are really happy that Marsaskala residents took this initiative because it shows that our campaign to encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle is working,” said the mayor.

As a footnote: a plastic model of baby Jesus was stolen earlier this week from a crib put up on the central strip on Manuel Dimech Bridge.