Some are spectacular, others just noisy

Reading Lauro Abela's letter (September 14) made me wonder whether we lived in the same country! In his Feasts: Plea For Tolerance he underlined the great work volunteers put into the external celebrations of our traditional festas. He went on at some length to emphasise this and towards the end appealed to critics to be "... .a bit more understanding and tolerant of a few bangs caused by fireworks, three or four days a year, during the festa season".

The mind boggles! Surely he means three or four times a day... every day of the festa season. Is he a native and a resident of the Maltese Islands or not?

Mr Abela's assertion is preposterous.

I for one do appreciate the work volunteers undertake although in the case of decorations I do not necessarily feel I have to like the often gaudy results. I absolutely love colourful fireworks but just as vehemently abhor the senseless letting off of petards. They are just ear-shattering bangs, bad for the ears, with negative effects on children, the elderly, the sick and those who want to sleep in peace. There is absolutely nothing positive about them, it is just a barbaric and selfish way of causing inconvenience to most people. An imposition, no more no less.

Living in such a small country as ours everybody knows that this is not a question of people living in one area having to put up with the bangs for a few days and that is the end of it. No matter where one goes, every week there is a festa being celebrated somewhere.

Take the example of St Julians... our festa comes on the last Sunday in August, sandwiched between those of two of Sliema's parishes, namely Stella Maris and St Gregory's. Before these feasts there is Balluta's Our Lady of Mt Carmel in July and also Sliema's Sacro Cuor. The conurbation around the main harbours being what it is, on this side of it one could count on more senseless bangs when it is Gzira's, Msida's and Guardamangia's turn. We get the bangs with sickening regularity... 8 a.m., noon, very early evening and intermittently during the procession.

I am all for colour and beauty but not for senseless, harmful, barbaric bangs. Defenders of this outlandish desire to indulge in imposing these bangs willy-nilly on everybody else either expect no criticism or make lame appeals for toleration. Very often they invoke the fact that this (offensive) behaviour is "entwined" in our customs. As with liberty, many crimes have been committed and are still being committed in the name of "tradition". One might as well allow condone the resumption of cannibalism, slavery and gladiatorial games because they were part and parcel of tradition in various parts of the world!