Thegħonnella (Maltese:[ɔˤˈnːɛlːɐ];pl. għenienel[ɛˤˈnɪːnɛl]), sometimes referred to as afaldetta, is a form of women's head dress andshawl, or hoodedcloak, unique to theMediterranean islands ofMalta andGozo. There was an alternative blue version in the south-east of Malta, and it was referred to asxurqana.[1] Another in the village ofGħargħur was referred to asstamijna.
It is generally made of cotton or silk, and usually black or some other dark colour, although from the sixteenth century onwards, noble women and women from wealthier households frequently wore white or brightly colouredgħenienel. Thegħonnella covered the head, and framed but did not cover the face. The upper part of thegħonnella is starched quite stiffly, and given a broad, rounded frame, formed by means of a board, cane, or whalebone.
From a practical perspective, this broad bonnet captured much needed cooling breezes during the hotMaltese summer. On cooler days, the wearer could wrap thegħonnella around her face more tightly, by making a slight adjustment. The lower part of thegħonnella could be worn loosely draped around the wearer's bodice and hips, or more tightly wrapped in the case of inclement weather. It would typically fall to mid-calf length. While walking, the wearer would hold one or both sides of thegħonnella clasped in her right hand.
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The origins of thegħonnella are ultimately unclear; it has been described as a "western garment, worn in an eastern fashion."[2]Maltese historians Ciantar and Abela were of the view that thegħonnella had evolved from traditional Sicilian dress:
"One cannot deny that the frequent interchange made between the Maltese and Sicilians influenced local customs. Sicilian influence may be discovered both in theeating habits of the Maltese as well as in the costumes worn in Malta. The garb worn by the Maltese women is a case in point. The women of Malta wear a long blackmantel that flows down from the head to the heels. Unlike in Sicily, the net(strascino) is not worn. Our women of the lower classes wear a mantel made of black wool. Noble women, the wives of the Professors of Law and Medicine and rich citizens wear mantels made ofsilk...."[3]
According to local legend, thegħonnella was first introduced toMalta in 1224 as a sign of mourning by the women ofCelano in theAbruzzi region ofItaly,[4] who were said to have been expelled - first toSicily, and then toMalta - byEnrico de Morra, acting on the orders ofHoly Roman EmperorFrederick II, following the massacre of their husbands. There is some historical evidence of this event recorded in the chronicles of Riccardo di San Germano:
"Henricus de Morra iussu imperiali Celanenses reuocat ubique dispersos, ut ad propria redeant, et redeuntes capit et in Siciliam mittit, quos apud Maltam dirigit Imperator."[5]
An alternate legend, which plays on the similarity between theFaldetta and a traditional nun's habit, suggests that the women of Malta adopted this costume in 1798, to ward off the unwanted advances ofNapoleon Bonaparte's troops. However, this theory was dismissed as a fairy tale in a National Geographic essay about Malta (1935).[6]
According to yet another legend, thegħonnella developed due to the strict Canonical requirement (pre-Vatican Council II) that women veil their head before entering aCatholic church. It is said that poorer country girls, who could not afford a cloak or shawl, met the veiling requirement by placing a spare skirt over their head, which gradually evolved into thegħonnella. Others speculate that it is a vernacular modification of the easternveil, even a local variation of the Spanishmantilla.[7] Drawing upon this angle related toMoorish Spain,folklore even suggests some fancied at least partialMoorish origin when Malta was occupied by the MuslimAghlabids, such as relation to thekhimar (a loose type ofhijab).
There are references to thegħonnella in the early records of the Knights of St. John (Order of Malta), and in eighteenth century travel books. Louis De Boiseglin, historian of theKnights of Malta wrote as follows:
"The Maltese women are little, and have beautiful hands and feet. They have fine black eyes, though they sometimes appear to squint, owing to their always looking out of the same eye; half of the face being covered with a sort of veil made of silk called Faldetta, which they twist about very gracefully, and arrange with much elegance. The women even of the highest rank, unlike their husbands, constantly preserve their costume; and any one who should adopt the French fashion would make herself very ridiculous. They are extremely fond of gold and silver ornaments, and it is not uncommon to see even the peasants loaded with trinkets of those metals."[8]
Victorian illustrator and traveller,William Henry Bartlett, was clearly intrigued by theFaldetta, describing it as follows in 1851:
"Next, tripping lightly down the steps behind, is aMaltese lady, enveloped in her elegant black silk mantilla, a costume of which it may be said that it renders even the ugly attractive, while the pretty become positively irresistible: so grave, and yet so piquante, so nun-like, and yet so coquettish, are its rustling folds, tastefully drawn round the head, so as to throw additional expression into a deep dark eye, and to relieve a white-gloved hand, and taper Andalusian foot."[9]
For centuries, thegħonnella was ubiquitous throughout Malta, worn by virtually all adult Maltese women.[1]
It was so popular that there were a number of seamstresses whose sole job was to design, cut and sewgħenienel.
However, it rapidly fell into disuse in the 1940s and 1950s, followingWorld War II.[1] By the 1970s, it was rarely seen,[1] except among the older members of theMaltese lay missionary movement, theSocietas Doctrinæ Christianæ (M.U.S.E.U.M.). Thegħonnella completely disappeared by the end of the 20th century; one of the last known women to wear it was Ċensa Vella fromVictoria, Gozo, who wore the garment until early 1991.[10]
The hooded garment occupied a lot of relative space, and for this reason it became impractical to wear onMaltese public buses.[1]
