Foreign influences on Maltese culture
Door: webmaster
Blijf op de hoogte en volg amy
05 Maart 2010 | Malta, Valletta
• The Phoenicians around 700 BC – 500 BC
The ancient Phoenicians where the biggest influence, because you can still here this back in the language. The Phoenicians were really interested in the harbours and ports Malta has, so they decided to make Malta a Punic colony.
• The Roman people around 218 BC – 395
Malta was allowed to have their own currency and to control domestic affairs. During this time the shipwreck of St. Paul took place. He brought Catholicism to the Maltese people and founded the Church of Malta. you can still see his influence in Malta because most of them are really religious and he has his own holiday and the town is named after him, namely St. Paul’s Bay
In 395 the Roman Empire fell, so then the eastern Roman Empire took over. Because of this change Greek families came to Malta. Now you can still see this in some of the traditions, proverbs and superstitions.
• Arab invasion around 870 – 1090
This was the worst invasion for the Maltese people, because it is speculated that many people were killed and put into slavery. People who could get away fled to mainly to Sicily. When the Norman invasion ended the Arab leadership there were only 1200 households left and the larger part was from the Arab world. Nowadays you see the effects of this invasion in the names of the Maltese towns and also in the language.
• The Knights of St. John around 1535 – 1798
The Knights of St. John are still really famous in Malta and are also known as the Knights of Malta. In this time period the population increased significantly. In the beginning the population was 25.000 and in the end it was 114.000. This happened because of the improvements in health, welfare and the immigration from Western Europe. The situation in Malta improved so much that this time period is now known as the Golden Age. During the Golden Age there was also a flourishing the architectural and artistic parts of the Maltese culture. You can see this in the Renaissance and Baroque architecture that is found in most towns, especially in Valletta and the Grand Harbour of Valletta. The Knights had also set the foundation for the University of Malta, which still exists and is therefore one of the oldest universities in Europe.
• The French from 1798 – 1800
As you can see this was a short period compared to the other ones, but this did not make the impact on the Maltese culture smaller. You can hear the French impact in the language every day. For example they say bonu for good morning and this sounds like bonjour, but then the short version without the –ur.
Slavery was put to an end in this period, a system for secondary school was set up, the university system was almost completely reorganised and a new Civil Code was introduced to improve the legal system.
Do not think this period was a good period for Malta, because Maltese churches were robbed of everything that had any value. This set off a riot which ended in the execution of a number of Maltese patriots.
• The British from 1800 – 1964
The Maltese people wanted to get rid of the French people, so they requested the addition of Malta to the British Empire. This was a request the British Empire could not refuse, because of the strategic location of Malta in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea. The opening of the Suez Canal made Malta even more important, because the island could function as a supply station and naval base.
The effects of the British period are seen in back in the language. Almost everyone speaks the English language and some parents even decide to not teach their children the Maltese language. On the street you can see the mail collection boxes and phone booths still in their original places.
• The Italians
The biggest Italian influence is the influence of Sicily. It is only 60 miles away from Malta, so it is not weird to know that they have exchanged knowledge, ideas, customs and beliefs throughout history. A big part of the Maltese families have their origins in Sicily and the South of Italy.
Especially in the food you see the Italian influence, for example in the pasta, seafood and the use of tomatoes and olive oil. Of course this influence also comes back in the language. Some words are very similar, more than half of the Maltese speak Italian and almost everyone can understand the Italian language.
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05 Maart 2010 - 15:21
Monsieur Balemans:
Bonu Amy,
Maybe those Frenchies robbed the churches, but they also gave many things in return: they put an end to slavery, organized the education and brought the Code Civil. -
05 Maart 2010 - 17:41
Amy Verbeek:
bonjour monsieur balemans
i know that they also did good things because that is stated in my report. since the Maltese people are very religious they did not like this very much, because the churches have a high value in their culture.
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