Two paintings that were shared on social media and were restored last year by the restoration company RECOOP, show what carnival celebrations looked like during the time of the Knights of St John here in Malta.

After all, the Knights were the ones who stared the beloved yearly tradition of the Maltese carnival.

It was for people to celebrate for a few days before the restrictions that came with the Lent period started. Malta used to go all out, with things often turning to chaos.

Visual depictions of carnival in Malta during these times is quite rare, but thankfully these two painting exist - they show the carnival being celebrated in the streets of Valletta some time during the second half of the 18^th century.

The paintings themselves are full of chaos. In one of them one can spot a man being dragged by a masked women while in another a child is about to be lifted to hear the ‘Qarcilla’, an act full of profanities.

Can you imagine celebrating Carnival back then?