‘Brilli’, horse racing on MaltaPost stamps

A pastime, which, unfortunately, seems to be on its way out, is featured on one of the two stamps issued by MaltaPost in the annual PUMed series.

Horse racing does not appear to be in any danger of disappearing, but brilli, a uniquely Gozitan version of skittles popular with adults – mostly elderly men – around the village of Għarb, is in danger of being lost forever.

Brilli is an open-air game which dates back well before the arrival of the Knights in the 16th century. The players use a wooden ball to aim at plain wooden bowls, marked with their value when struck down towards the winning total. Eight are placed in a square – or diamond – design around the central “sultan” which earns the most points.

Brilli was very popular among Gozitans, but today it is unique to Għarb. Every Sunday, a group of men meet for a game of brilli at St Peter’s Square.