ABSTRACT
The original idea was to have a ritual at Viviane's house on the 31st followed by a dress-up Hallowe'en party, to which non-Pagan friends would also be invited. Then it seemed that this might be too ambitious, so it was decided to have both ritual and party on the 31st. Viviane put the four huge orange pumpkins that we, along with Isabella, had carved the previous day on the four corners of the altar cloth with tea-lights in them to illuminate their witchy grins. Everyone received a personalized greeting, with Viviane drawing on her knowledge of the person and her intuition: fire could variously represent love, imagination or determination to succeed. The rest of the family was out and Viviane was cleaning, sweeping, mopping and tidying - as she, like most Maltese women, does daily. The synchronicities and connections made in Pagan rituals rely on a vivid imagination fuelled by a rich knowledge of fantasy literature and mythology.
