Folklore

Abstract

Malta and Gozo possess a rich legacy of folklore. They stand half-way on the land ridge that once joined Sicily to Africa, and their geographical position has influenced their history and traditions. Besides reflecting the usages and ways of thought of the present, Maltese folklore preserves the soul of the past, embodying the mode of life and the beliefs and practices of preceding centuries. This national heritage of lore and tradition is the product of simple, psychological reactions to the historical environments and to the various culture contacts which our people have experienced in the past. At different times and by various routes, many people have come to these islands and dominated them for varying periods. Each ruling group - Punic, Roman, Arab, Norman, Swabian, Angevin, Aragonese, Castilian, the Knights of St John of Jerusalem and, lastly, the English - brought its own lore, language and way of life in its wake. Most of these left their imprint on local tradition and, in their turn, underwent changes in the process of adaptation to the conditions of the country and subsequent adjustment to the traditional pattern of Maltese life and thought. The result has been an extremely variegated form of folk-culture constituting a distinctive element of Malta's national identity.