Malta and the Maltese : a pictorial study and analysis of the people and their customs

Abstract

Malta lies in the Middle of the Mediterranean Sea, sixty miles south of Sicily. This tiny speck in the blue Mediterranean was the Tenue of a lone and chequered history. The Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthagenians, Romans, Arana, Normans, Germans, French, Spaniards, Aragonese and the Knights of St. John, all these have some time or other occupied this island and he doubt left their influences and contributed their quota to the manners and way or life of the inhabitants. Two fundamental characteristics, however, namely Religion and the native language have almost remained intact even to this day. These two ideals were held sacred and many a time the Maltese had to fight and suffer in their cause. It is no wonder therefore that the Maltese character is moulded and influenced by Religion and the traditions and dictates carried down throughout the centuries. Religious customs and influences The Maltese islands are divided into tiny villages the members or which share a common body of customs and tradition. The villages display an intense loyalty to their particular village. This sense of loyalty can is seen and felt mostly during the annual festa of the village which draws in native sons and daughters from all over the country and very often from as far as Canada and Australia. In view of this loyalty, it is not surprising that people express their solidarity with their native village by opposition to other neighbouring villages. There are many tales of hostility between neighbouring villages especially over the celebrations of the annual festa. One still hears stories of how youths stampeded goats through their rival's festa processions, and of expeditions which stole fireworks, attacked street decorations and performed other daring expeditions. The whole village therefore centred round the Parish. Very often the Parish had more than one festa end when this was the case, then the village became divided into two Partiti, each of which had its own band club. The Partiti vied with each other in street decorations, the adorning of the Statue of the Patron Saint and above all the firing of murtali and fireworks. The origin or the feats Partiti dates back to the year 1850. On the Religious side the Parish had at least one Confraternity. A Confraternity is a lay organisation which is dedicated to a particular Saint. The members particular duty was to offer Massee for dead members. These Societies called Fratellanzi were the oldest associations in Malta and date back to the Middle Ages. Members wore the distinctive habit of the particular fratellanza during Processions [...].