Reflections about the old Maltese folk belief in the transformation of a person into a Gawgaw ghost on Christmas Eve

Abstract

The Maltese scholar Joseph Cassar-Pullicino mentioned in the 'Studies in Maltese Folklore' (1976, 225) a belief, that persons who were born on Christmas eve were doomed to be transformed once a year on this day, while they were asleep, into a ghost called 'Gawgaw'. In this form they wandered about frightening people with their groanings. Similar beliefs were recorded in other islands like Sicily, and in particular Chios. It should be interesting to investigate whether they are also known in the Italian and Greek mainlands. However during its history Malta had also close cultural ties with the Arab world. Although the political domination of the Arabs had already come to an end by the beginning of the eleventh century, Moslem domestic slaves have obviously played an important role for the survival of eastern concepts during the following centuries. In fact, the author shall point out noteworthy customs and imaginings from Arab and North European folklore in this paper.