François-Emmanuel Guignard, Comte de Saint-Priest (1735-1821), a French politician and diplomat who visited Malta in 1785, gives a brief account of carnival in his Malte par un Voyager François, which he published in 1791.

According to Saint-Priest, carnival festivities started early on Saturday morning. An expectant crowd gathered in front of the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta so that, at a given signal, one of the Knights Grand Cross beseeched the grand master on behalf of all those present for his consent for the festivities to begin.

After due authorisation, carnival started and a group of youths went about the streets of Valletta dancing the parata, a fictitious sword-play that mimicked the battles against the Ottomans.

Saint-Priest avers that during carnival, a sizeable stone was hung from a wooden beam that protruded from a considerable height of the Castellania (the law courts) over Strada San Giacomo (Merchants Street), corner with Strada del Monte (St John’s Street). The beam was normally used for the strappado, a punishment for certain offences during which the condemned person was hung so that his feet barely rested on the semi-circular ledge at the top of the pillar that rises from the street below. The wretched person had to endure the discomfort and pain and the taunts and ridicule of passers-by in this busy street.

The Castellania column and the opening high above it through which a wooden beam projected.

The facade of the Castellania (today's Ministry for Health).

According to Saint-Priest, the stone was meant to signal that for carnival days only, justice was suspended: “le glaive de Themis repose dans son fourreau” (the sword of Themis rests in its shield). The stone was merely symbolic because, despite carnival, the Castellan never intended to let justice go to the dogs. Indeed, prior to the start of the festivities, a bando was read out in public to warn revellers against any excesses.

Prior to the start of the festivities, a bando was read out in public to warn revellers against any excesses

The bando of 1722

One such bando was issued on Saturday, February 14, 1722, during the grandmastership of Marcantonio Zondandari, and was repeatedly published in subsequent years during the reign of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena. This bando, which was legislated and read out in public, is one of many that are bound in Manuscript 429, kept at the Malta National Library (the Bibliotheca). Like all other bandi in the same manuscript, this was handwritten in Italian, the official language of the Order.

Hereunder is a translation of the bando containing numerous rules that all revellers had to abide with.

The bando ‘maschare’ in Manuscript 429, vol 1.

‘Bando Maschere’ – a translation

“His Serene Highness [Sua Altissima Serenità] orders that no costumed reveller [Camisello o mascherata] carries on him any offensive or defensive weapons [armi offensive o difensive], such as clubs or canes. Such a contravention will be punishable by rowing for four years on the galleys. However, if the transgressor is of a certain social standing [essendo persone di qualità], then he will instead pay the Treasury [il Fisco] 100 scudi and will have his costume confiscated. If the transgressor is a female, she will not only forfeit her costume but shall also be flogged. [frustata].

“No costumed reveller should hurt or insult anyone, whether the victim is a mascherata or otherwise. In case of such contravention, the transgressor will receive four lashings [quattro tratti di corda]. If the person is of a higher standing, he will instead be obliged to pay the Fisco 50 scudi.

“In order to avoid any inconvenience, they [the revellers] shall not pelt residual food or eggs that are filled with confettura under penalty of three lashings [tre tratti di corda] or fined 50 scudi. The same penalty applies for anyone accused of hurling chickpeas [garabanzane – could be the old Italian word for garbanze, – pulses, beans or chickpeas], or else small brooms [scopette] full of grain crusts [caniglia] at others.

“Slaves are not allowed to wear a carnival mask [camisella – Agius de Soldanis in his Damma includes the Maltese word, kamuzell, which he translates into Italian as maschera buffone, and in Latin scurro, a jester or clown] – This contravention is punishable as decreed by the Order [la Religione] by 100 lashings [nervate] on the ‘Column of the Square’ – [most probably, this is a reference to the same strappado column mentioned above]. According to the will of His Serene Highness, this punishment is to be carried out immediately [ipso facto] and without any trial.

“The mascherati are to dress honestly and not to carry any obscene objects in hand [one wonders what these obscene objects might be]. The penalty for such contravention, once the culprit is male, will be three lashings [tre tratti di corda] – for women immediate flogging using the whip [frusta].

“Men are not to dress up as women and women are not to dress up as men. Women are not permitted to wear the faldetta in a way that the legs show from below the knees; in case of such contravention, women will forfeit their costume and will be flogged… men of the lower strata of society will receive three lashings and shall have their costume confiscated – if the culprit is of a certain social standing, he shall be exiled from the Four Cities [presumably Valletta, Senglea, Vittoriosa and Cospicua]; if the perpetrator is still under 18 years of age, he will forfeit his costume and shall be condemned to one month imprisonment.

“No reveller is to dress in an illicit, scandalous and obscene manner: in such cases men will receive three lashings [tre tratti di corda], if the transgressor is female, she will be immediately submitted to a good flogging [frustate].

“No artisan, especially carpenters, are to produce and provide the revellers with wooden clubs or any other similar weapon. Were this to happen, both the carpenter and the reveller carrying the object will receive three lashings; finally on the tolling of the church bells for the Angelus, one is to remove his mask.”

The same regulations were repeated for the carnivals of 1723, 1724, and 1725. However, a new regulation was added in the last year:

“No one is allowed to go around playing the drum under penalty which is also foreseen for such infraction.”

A symbolic representation of the battle between Carnival and Lent by Hieronymus Bosch.

This bando offers the social historian a wealth of information on Maltese society of the period. The prohibitions and penalties react to the infringements that most probably did indeed occur during carnival.

Mausoleum of Marcantonio Zondandari at St John’s Co-Cathedral. It was under his reign and that of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena that the quoted bando was decreed.

Class and gender mattered when it came to punishment, and slaves fared even worse. Being fined in lieu of flogging would have spared the upper crust from corporal punishment, while at the same time contributed, albeit in a small way, in enriching the Order’s coffers.

Rules protecting public decency were also included in order to curb any lascivious acts, not only to appease the sentiments of the religious Order of Saint John, but also to quell any misgivings about carnival festivities held by the bishop and the inquisitor.

One of the rules also dealt with the obligation for revellers to remove their mask once the church bells tolled the Angelus. This was a way of showing respect towards the religious customs that the believers of the Catholic faith adhered to.

The comments by Saint-Priest about the meaning of the hanging stone and the suspension of justice may well be a reference to a temporary pause during the three days of carnival of any legal proceedings at the Castellania. Meanwhile, the arms of the law were still active to nip any delinquents who dared to transgress.

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Michael Cassar and Giorgia Di Buono for their assistance.