Ancient Maltese customs

Abstract

Folk-customs offer a fascinating aspect of social li~e in the Maltese islands - the meeting-place of East and West where the rich colour and imagery of Oriental peoples blend with Mediterranean culture and Catholic tradition. For the proper understanding of these customs one must keep in mind that in the course of its history Malta has had a succession of dominations and cultures - Prehistoric, Phoenician, Roman, Arab, Norman, Suabian, Angevin, Aragonese, Castilian, the Order of St. John and, now, the British, exercising different cultural and ethnological influences of which traces can still be found in the Maltese customs that have survived to this day.