Anecdotes

Natalino Fenech discusses two new books by historian Guido Lanfranco published by Wise Owl, "Drawwiet u Hajja mill-Istorja ta' Malta" and "Loghob, Taqbil u Gugarelli tat-Tfal Maltin":

In the first book, Drawwiet u Hajja mill-Istorja ta' Malta, Mr Lanfranco tackles Church-related folklore and litters his accounts with both anecdotal and in-depth historical information. Some of what Mr Lanfranco writes about would easily have made headlines if they happened in the present day. A horse taken on stage at the Royal Opera House during a performance of the opera Nabucco in 1852 died of fright from the noise of a thunderbolt. Closer to the present, five cows died on a farm in Marsaxlokk in 1976 when the farm was struck by lightning.

In 1876, while the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were being greeted on their arrival in Malta, lightning struck the flagpole at St Elmo, breaking it in two. The book dwells on subjects as diverse as ghosts, stone statues and the teaching of doctrine in Malta...His keen eye for detail gives rise to interesting anecdotes. Chairs in churches were made out of beech wood with seats fashioned from a rope-like material. Bugs used to breed in them and since they were fond of heat, it did not take them long to crawl into people's clothing - the insect bites led to some unpleasant itching! Mr Lanfranco also recounts some of his experiences as a child during the war.

Children are at the centre of the other book, Loghob, Taqbil u Gugarelli tat-Tfal Maltin - games, toys and rhymes for children. The book is bound to bring about some feelings of nostalgia among those in their 50s and 60s for the games they used to play and the rudimentary toys they played with. For today's youngsters, for whom computer games and electronic gadgetry have replaced makeshift toys, the book will provide a glimpse of how yesteryear's children played with virtually anything they could lay their hands on. Many of the games were competitive, involving catching each other or throwing things to win a few hazelnuts or sweets...

Folklore from aboutmalta.com