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For
many years folklore was said to consist mainly of telling or retelling
of stories handed down from generation to generation providing many peoples
with stories of great human heroes of the past, of extraordinary events
and dealings of supernatural beings with men. However, with the passing
of time, as more scholars began to interest themselves in the activities
of man, the word folklore, which was coined by W. J. Thoms in 1846, acquired
a wide meaning, covering legends, fables, popular stories, proverbs and
sayings, songs, melodies and folk-ballads, nursery rhymes, folk-games and
pastimes, children's words, riddles, folk-toys and playthings, superstitions,
the occult, popular spectacles and festivals, rites and ceremonies, marriages,
birth and death, popular beliefs, dress and costumes, domestic and religious
usage, food and drink, local and traditional crafts, occupations both in
villages and in cities, and other aspects of the daily life.
It was to the credit of Giuseppe Pitre', the great Sicilian Folklorist, that the realm of folklore was extended to include all the manifestations of popular life. The science of folklore, therefore, has gradually evolved into the study of mankind and its activities.
Gozitan folklore forms part of our great body of the Maltese national popular heritage. Maltese folklore would have been considerably poorer had it not been for the Gozitans who preserved many traditional usage and customs and had it not been for Gozitan scholars who worked hard and unstintingly to collect folk material for its proper and comparative study, and also for the benefit of future generations. In this context special mention is due to the great eighteenth century Gozitan scholar Canon Agius de Soldanis and to another Gozitan, the late Dr. Anthony Cremona, known as Ninu. Other major contributors in this regard are the Jesuit Father Emmanuel Magri, Professor Joseph Aquilina, and other modern writers who in some way or another did their best to add to our ever increasing mine of information regarding the Gozitan aspect of Maltese folklore.
Gozitans and Maltese are one people, so they have a common heritage as regards their customs, traditions and beliefs. What, then, is Gozitan folklore? One should not expect to find a demarcation line between Maltese folklore on one side and Gozitan folklore on the other. However, Gozitan folklore does exist and this is represents an identifyable aspect of Maltese culture. This consideration puts the study of Maltese folklore on better and more scientific footing, as variants are an essential element when folklore material needs to be examined from different perspectives.
Go to Children's Folklore & Narrative Folklore
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