When St. Paul was shipwrecked in AD 60, Naxxar may have been the first place he visited. According to a cute but unlikely explanation, Paul's wet clothes were hung out to dry at Naxxar. Such false clocks are common in Malta. The idea is to save the money of a second clock. The folksy story is that this serves to foil the devil's continuous attempts to disturb the congregation.
Horns are a long-standing protection against the evil eye.
Another way to thwart the evil eye is untidiness, such as the encouragement of cobwebs, though, God forbid, not inside the house. Besides the Sorrows, several other passion statues are carried during the Good Friday pageant. Though some of the originals exist, what today's bystander sees unfurling past the handsome Naxxar houses are modern replacements. The practice of penitents carrying chains, still pursued, was already a regular feature in 1761. Also part of the 18th century procession were musical instruments and, less appropriately, fireworks.