Hello Malta people and Gozo People as well, Mark.
A lot has been told of the Miracles of Ta'Pinu and the Legend of Calypso's cave, but there are some others that are not so well known.
The tale of greed.
Legend has it that an old spinster by the name of Marija who was so poor she could not even pay for the oil to fill the oil lamp in front of the Madonna to whom she prayed twice a day. One night the Modonna appeared to her and told her to take a jar to the 4am mass, when she got to the church she saw a spring of oil coming from under the it.
The answer to all her prayer had come true but once the Miracle became known people from all over Malta and Gozo came to bottle the oil for profit. The priest's warnings fell on deaf ears, and one day the river of oil dried up just as miraculously as it had started.
This church can be found in Gharb and is the Church of St Mary (Tas-Zejt, of the oil )
San Dimitri,s Miracles.
In the times of the pirates and corsairs there was a old woman called Zgugina who prayed every day to St Dimitri, one day when the corsairs came and found nothing to to take of value they tuck all the young men one being Zgugina's son. On hearing of her lose she ran to the church to pray to St Dimitri, as she did the alter piece came to life and the Saint rode from the chapel and out to sea, galloping across the water and returning with her son. Zgugina vowed to keep a oil lamp burning for the Saint for the rest of her life.
200 yers later there was a earth quake and the chapel fell into the sea, years passed till one day a ships anchor snagged on the bottom of the sea, divers were sent down to set it free. All disappeared under sea and were thought to have drowned, then miraculously all the divers returned and told how they had walked into a chapel on the seabed and breathed fresh air and seen a alterpiece to St Dimitri illuminated by a oil lamp.
It is said that on calm days you can see the glow from the lamp.
Dave
Back in days gone by a old legend was born about a man from Mosta and the part 13th century chapel of the Immaculate Conception, the man Kerrew was a religious person like most hermits lived in a cave. A jealous prank was set up to break his holy ways, he fled from his cave and doomed village and made for the channel that divides Gozo and Malta, were he threw his old cloak in to the sea and floated across the channel to Gozo and landed at Hondoq ir Rummien, Qala's sandy beach. From here he found a new cave and followed his holy ways till his peaceful death.
Just inside the chapel in a basement shrine to Kerrew lie his bones on a small alter, which like the grotto at Millieha, people come to pray for there unwell children.
The chapel is about 1 mile east of Qala and is open most days.
Dave
Just inside the chapel in a basement shrine to Kerrew lie his bones on a small alter, which like the grotto at Millieha, people come to pray for there unwell children.
The chapel is about 1 mile east of Qala and is open most days.
Dave
Sliema2
Do you think we could by these wine gums here
Seriously Dave it is great to hear all these legends, these are the kind of tales that make the islands so special.
Do you think we could by these wine gums here
Seriously Dave it is great to hear all these legends, these are the kind of tales that make the islands so special.
Only kidding Dave I like those kind of dotty legends this one is my favourite dotty Maltese legend this one a cracker.
Adjacent to the chapel of San Mattew in Qrendi, situated on the road connecting the village of Qrendi to Wied iz-Zurrieq, one comes across another interesting feature quite unique to the village of Qrendi. An interesting "quarry like" feature formed by a depression in the land, filled with Maltese trees and shrubs is quite breath taking and truly impressive. A wild sanctuary for carob trees, where the Maltese National tree, the Gharghar (Sandarac Gum) can be found growing wild. A place where Laurel trees grow in harmony with bamboo cane and Ivy. A place where Pomegranate trees grow in great abundance.
This name Maqluba (Over turned in Arabic) is the name given to two similar depressions found within the Qrendi boundaries and within two miles of each other, both having totally different characteristics from one another.
Behind the Maqluba magnificent views comes a legend equally as impressive. Handed down through the generations, we learn of bad people living together in a small village or hamlet (Hal-Lew). Almighty God warned the village, through a good woman living close by and often referred to as a nun, against their bad ways.
Unheeding these warnings, God decreed that the land swallow the village sparing none except the good woman. In turn, angels were dispatched to dispose of the "bad village" by dumping it at sea. Legend thus tells of the formation of the island of Filfla situated some three miles to the South West of the fishing port of Wied iz-Zurrieq.
Caw for now
Sliema2
Adjacent to the chapel of San Mattew in Qrendi, situated on the road connecting the village of Qrendi to Wied iz-Zurrieq, one comes across another interesting feature quite unique to the village of Qrendi. An interesting "quarry like" feature formed by a depression in the land, filled with Maltese trees and shrubs is quite breath taking and truly impressive. A wild sanctuary for carob trees, where the Maltese National tree, the Gharghar (Sandarac Gum) can be found growing wild. A place where Laurel trees grow in harmony with bamboo cane and Ivy. A place where Pomegranate trees grow in great abundance.
This name Maqluba (Over turned in Arabic) is the name given to two similar depressions found within the Qrendi boundaries and within two miles of each other, both having totally different characteristics from one another.
Behind the Maqluba magnificent views comes a legend equally as impressive. Handed down through the generations, we learn of bad people living together in a small village or hamlet (Hal-Lew). Almighty God warned the village, through a good woman living close by and often referred to as a nun, against their bad ways.
Unheeding these warnings, God decreed that the land swallow the village sparing none except the good woman. In turn, angels were dispatched to dispose of the "bad village" by dumping it at sea. Legend thus tells of the formation of the island of Filfla situated some three miles to the South West of the fishing port of Wied iz-Zurrieq.
Caw for now
Sliema2
Another legend tells of clockmaker from Zebbug a greedy man who's devious plan for some new salt pans went wrong.
To fulfill his blinding lust for money he built some new saltpans on top of a cliff away from the sea so in the winter he had built a shaft from the cliffs down to the sea. This then funneled the sea water up the funnel and into the saltpan, his big mistake was that he built his saltpans in the soft porous globigerina limestone, and not the hard coralline limestone so that the salt disappeared along with the salt water before the salt cystals had time to form.
To make matters worse the funnel sprayed water on his neighbours crops and destroyed them, so he sued the clockmaker into bankruptcy and so ended this tale of greed.
Zebbug, means Olives and is one of the highest villages in Gozo and is known as windy city. there are still working saltpans in the area.
Dave
P S, Sliema2 I am on Jelly Babys I like to bite the heads of first
To fulfill his blinding lust for money he built some new saltpans on top of a cliff away from the sea so in the winter he had built a shaft from the cliffs down to the sea. This then funneled the sea water up the funnel and into the saltpan, his big mistake was that he built his saltpans in the soft porous globigerina limestone, and not the hard coralline limestone so that the salt disappeared along with the salt water before the salt cystals had time to form.
To make matters worse the funnel sprayed water on his neighbours crops and destroyed them, so he sued the clockmaker into bankruptcy and so ended this tale of greed.
Zebbug, means Olives and is one of the highest villages in Gozo and is known as windy city. there are still working saltpans in the area.
Dave
P S, Sliema2 I am on Jelly Babys I like to bite the heads of first
excellent series of stories Dave - the last one I believe is actually true, or atleast the kernel of the story is - the shaft is still there - its at the western limit of the saltpan area, near Wied il Ghasri
hello to you all
this is not strictly a folk tale of gozo, i have only heard about it in malta.
apparantly there is a large black dog said to appear as a foreteller of death. it appears at night with grotesque howling sounds. i have seen the look of fear on maltese faces when a dog starts to bark at night. i can't remember what the maltese call it.
i know there are simular stories all over the world.
inselli ghalik
alan
this is not strictly a folk tale of gozo, i have only heard about it in malta.
apparantly there is a large black dog said to appear as a foreteller of death. it appears at night with grotesque howling sounds. i have seen the look of fear on maltese faces when a dog starts to bark at night. i can't remember what the maltese call it.
i know there are simular stories all over the world.
inselli ghalik
alan
Hi alan,
Just read your last posting and it's certainly made us laugh! Great thread - keep 'em coming!
Cheers
Trev
Just read your last posting and it's certainly made us laugh!
Great thread - keep 'em coming!Cheers
Trev
A local legend in Mosta-Malta is regarding the Speranza Chapel ('speranza' meaning 'hope'), which is situated close to the Speranza Valley. It was built in the 18th century, between 1760 and 1761. A legend tied to this small Chapel recounts that during a Corsair raid, a young girl and her sisters were taking care of their family's sheep in the fields. Whilst the sisters escaped to the safety of Mosta, the little girl couldn't run very fast because she limped slightly. It is said that she hid in a cave (it is found under the Chapel, on its left side), and that she prayed to Our Lady, who immediately intervened and had a spider weave its web over the opening of the cave. When the invaders chasing her arrived, they didn't look for her in the cave because they thought the girl could not be hiding there because the web was intact, after a while the girl dashed out of the cave and went safely home, she attributed her miraculous escape to our lady to whom she and her family decided to dedicate a chapel to Il-Madonna ta I-Isperenza which means our lady of good hope.
Caw for now
Sliema2
Caw for now
Sliema2
Hi there, 
Gozo mArk told me the tale of his house in a PM, I thought it was very interseting and hope he shares it with you all. Go on Mark, tell 'em about the 'shilling house'
Gozo mArk told me the tale of his house in a PM, I thought it was very interseting and hope he shares it with you all. Go on Mark, tell 'em about the 'shilling house'
why not !
the story of our house ! - see second picture down on the Sannat website
http://www.sannat.gov.mt/default.asp?selMMSec=0&selMMCat=67
After the second world war, Gozo was very poor, and the woman who lived in our house re-started the lace industry, which Sannat in particular had been famous for. Guzeppa Debrincat was her name, and she used the house to bring in buyers from Malta and overseas, and then gave out orders for the villagers to make lace. She was a good businesswoman, and very charitable - she used to leave shillings on locals' doorsteps in the middle of the night, hence her nickname Tax-Xelina (or shilling lady) - the house is still known as Tax Xelina by the locals.
Malta sent Queen Elizabeth some lace for her engagement (I think), and this lace came from Sannat, via our house. The Queen (or Princess as she was then in 1951) visited Gozo, and came to our house to meet Ta Xelina and the workers.
Our dog is named Peppa (short for Guzeppa) after her. In 2004, 10 of her relatives who live in the US came to Gozo to see their roots, and we showed them round the house. When they saw our dog (a traditional local breed which is the national dog of Malta - called Kelb Tal Fenek, or Rabbit dog - also called Pharoah hound in English) they loved the fact we had such a local dog - when I told them her name, they gasped, and said thats our Gandmothers name - I then said our dog was named after their Grandmother, which led to a few tears !
the story of our house ! - see second picture down on the Sannat website
http://www.sannat.gov.mt/default.asp?selMMSec=0&selMMCat=67
After the second world war, Gozo was very poor, and the woman who lived in our house re-started the lace industry, which Sannat in particular had been famous for. Guzeppa Debrincat was her name, and she used the house to bring in buyers from Malta and overseas, and then gave out orders for the villagers to make lace. She was a good businesswoman, and very charitable - she used to leave shillings on locals' doorsteps in the middle of the night, hence her nickname Tax-Xelina (or shilling lady) - the house is still known as Tax Xelina by the locals.
Malta sent Queen Elizabeth some lace for her engagement (I think), and this lace came from Sannat, via our house. The Queen (or Princess as she was then in 1951) visited Gozo, and came to our house to meet Ta Xelina and the workers.
Our dog is named Peppa (short for Guzeppa) after her. In 2004, 10 of her relatives who live in the US came to Gozo to see their roots, and we showed them round the house. When they saw our dog (a traditional local breed which is the national dog of Malta - called Kelb Tal Fenek, or Rabbit dog - also called Pharoah hound in English) they loved the fact we had such a local dog - when I told them her name, they gasped, and said thats our Gandmothers name - I then said our dog was named after their Grandmother, which led to a few tears !
-
Edited by
gozomark
2006-04-05 08:08:31
Very nice story mark 
I think you ought to carry on the tradition of leaving money around though 
I think you ought to carry on the tradition of leaving money around though
oh I do, mainly in bars !
Talking of bars we remember seeing your house last year when sat outside of Rosina's Bar having a nice cool beer.
It was great to hear the story and the history of the house.
How lovely to live in a house where the Queen has visited and all that history do you get lots of tourists outside your front door
This thread is excellent love all the stories.....
It was great to hear the story and the history of the house.
How lovely to live in a house where the Queen has visited and all that history do you get lots of tourists outside your front door
This thread is excellent love all the stories.....
We get a handful of tourists each year knocking on the door, normally trying to buy lace. The wierdest one was one afternoon hearing someone inside our house, screaming. They had presumed our house was a shop based on the plaque above, had walked in without knocking, and our dog had jumped up at them. They hated dogs, and were screaming at me to call my dog off. I pointed out it was a private house, and were lucky our dog was a real softie, and not a proper guard dog. After I called my dog off, they started shouting at me saying my dog should be tied up - in my own house ! I tried to tell them that they had entered my house without permission, but they wouldn't listen, and left still angry..... 
Hello Mark,
How funny... that gave us a real laugh. Things could have been worse, imagine just coming out of the shower, with strangers roaming around your house
Mind you its sounds like you could have a ready made business there, dedicate one room to Queen collectables and Gozo lace, and free tissues for the dog licks....
How funny... that gave us a real laugh. Things could have been worse, imagine just coming out of the shower, with strangers roaming around your house
Mind you its sounds like you could have a ready made business there, dedicate one room to Queen collectables and Gozo lace, and free tissues for the dog licks....
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