The seasonal change from summer to autumn leads to a multitude of adjustments; the well-needed 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 31 October 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. 

As Christianity gained popularity throughout Europe, 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.

In Malta, Swieqi and Pembroke host the majority of the 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!