Documentary sources on the Maltese eighteenth century carnival: II-Ba/lo de/ Battito or Parata [Book review]

Abstract

Carnival festivities have been celebrated at Malta at least since the late Middle Ages and compare reasonably well with European traditions. Mock sword dancing was associated with European popular festivals since medieval times but declined in popularity during the sixteenth and seventeenth ·centuries, not least owing to the upheaval resulting from the Protestant Reformation, though in fervently Catholic Spain and Portugal this type of popular entertainment continued to be performed. The approximate date/s of the introduction of mock sword dancing in Malta is unknown though Giacomo Bosio, the historian of the Order of St John, vaguely asserts that a sword dance was included in the Knights' dance repertoire.