Halloween in Malta

THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

The seasonal change from summer to autumn leads to a multitude of adjustments; the wellneeded shift from the warm humid climate to a cooler one, the leaves turnings orange and yellow, the drop in temperatures, and you start pulling out your sweaters and jackets. For the largest part of the western world, welcoming the month of October usually means that it’s time to deck out the house with jack-o'-lantern and start thinking of Halloween treats. Just a decade ago, in Malta, celebrating the holiday of Halloween was deemed ludicrous and ‘satanic’ since it went against traditional Christian teachings.

Halloween is celebrated on 31October since this date

coincides with the historic Gaelic feast of Samhain.

Recognised as the origin of Halloween, the Gaelic feast of Samhain signalled the end of the harvest season and the start of winter, lying right between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. Seasons changed at this time of year, but more significantly, observers thought the veil between this world and the hereafter was exceptionally thin at this time, allowing them to communicate with the dead.

Believers held that Samhain, the god of death, released bad spirits at this time of year to attack people. Once the gloomy winter and the dying of the sunset set in, these malevolent spirits began to play horrible games. To prevent these attacks from happening, pagan citizens used to wear costumes and disguises to appear as bad spirits. Witches, Wiccan practitioners, and individuals with necromantic skills tried to take leverage of this thin layer between the physical and spiritual worlds to communicate with the dead.

HALLOWEEN

Words by Terrence Mifsud

it clashed with native paganism. By attempting to promote Christian alternatives, the organised church essentially contested the accepted practises. Malta being a predominantly Christian country, celebrating Halloween was strictly off limits. The celebration of this feast started garnering popularity as the state detached itself from the church, becoming more and more progressive and accepting of other traditions. In 2011, purportedly produced by the church, flyers urging people to avoid Halloween celebrations because they go against Christian tradition and are a celebration of terror and death were spread all over the country, causing a huge commotion on social media.

While the church denied these allegations, some churchgoers still decided to rebuke the holiday and all of its traditions. Halloween festivities. Hundreds of children in costumes run

around the neighbourhoods to trick-or-treat. In 2018, Malta experienced the spookiest Haunted Halloween experience. The Haunted House Experience featured sixty performers, hundreds of props, and plenty of fake blood. All of the nightclubs provide their own Halloween events for people that want to celebrate. Adults love dressing up in ghastly costumes, terrifying the ghosts that threaten to enter the physical world.

Like other foreign customs, it is only a matter of time before it is fully assimilated into Maltese practices. The number of people participating in this tradition is ever-growing, from trick-or-treating to haunted house experiences, and even spooky costumes. I guess now it’s time to shove a handful of candy in your pockets, look for what to wear, and get in gear to have one sinister experience!

VISITING GĦAJN TUFFIEĦA'S WORLD WAR II SITES

Words by Andrew Galea

October is the perfect month for a bit of exploration combined with a refreshing dip in the sea as the Island begings to cool off slowly after the long hot summer months.

One of the great things about going for a walk and a swim in Malta is that you're guaranteed to run into plenty of WW2 sites. So as you keep your family and friends happy by setting off on a little seaside adventure, you will also be getting your history fix with plenty of World War Two sites to discover along the way. The area/beach I will showcase in this article is Ghajn Tuffieha, also known as Riviera; a beautiful natural setting.

Before you actually walk down to the beach, on the crest of the nearby hill, you will see something that looks like a stone reservoir with a building close by. This is a WW2 anti-aircraft search light and listening post for an early sound locator.

Further along from the car park next to the 16th century watch tower is a pillbox and searchlight that would have covered the beach from the clifftop.

There is also what used to be another beach search light post near the entrance to the beach from the road, but sadly, all that is left of that is a concrete ruin just about standing.

Remains of search light post

Pill box close to the old watch tower Having walked down the many stairs, it’s time for a swim. Make sure you take a mask with you as in the sea, on both sides of the Bay, there are anti invasion pyramids still in position under the water. During the war, these two lines of concrete pyramids would have a metal rod coming out of the top to stop landing crafts from coming in.

Finally, pop round to the beach restaurant for a drink or a bite to eat; the last structure you are actually standing on is an early pillbox with two slits, one pointing out and the other crossing the beach. The makes for the perfect sunset spot.

Please do be careful as there can be strong currents here. The World War Two structures are old and

the cliffs are slowly crumbling so it can also be very dangerous.

For more information on Malta’s World War Two heritage, vitist @WW2sitesMalta on Facebook.

Anti-invasion obstacles on seabed

Early war plane listening post and search light