Time to act

The report issued a fortnight ago by the Environment Commission of the archdiocese did not mince words on the negative aspects which feasts are having on the environment. Hundreds of tonnes of waste are collected each year from the streets after towns and villages have celebrated the traditional feasts in honour of their favourite saints.

The report also spoke of the excessive noise level of fireworks which in certain cases "was much higher than the acceptable maximum of 120 decibels".

A week before the Gozo parish priests in conjunction with the Bishop also issued a statement which dealt rather extensively with local feasts. It discussed various issues which must be tackled earnestly in Gozo (as in Malta) if we want to save the local feasts and not let them degenerate into a pagan manifestation which has nothing to do with religion and which in many cases is an insult and an offence to the faith and the saints.

In many towns and villages the "traditional" band march is held while solemn High Mass in honour of the saint is being celebrated, making it impossible for those who are celebrating in the streets to participate in the truly religious manifestation of faith which ought to be the focus of the feast.

The Gozo parish priests strongly recommended that such marches should preferably not be held on the feast day itself and if they are, they should take place after the solemn Mass has ended. They also urged that these marches should end by two in the afternoon.

As for the marches themselves the priests expressed their wish that they should not contain any elements which offend the Christian character of the feasts; that carnivalesque elements (which are increasingly becoming popular) should be avoided and that nothing which goes against public order or which might threaten the safety and well being of persons should be allowed.

The parish priests expressed the Gozo Church's belief that religious feasts are a witness to the Christian faith of the people. They urged that all elements threatening such faith should be eradicated. The Gozo Church appealed to all those involved in organising the outside festivities such as festa committees and band clubs, to co-operate with parish priests and ensure that the village feasts remain "truly Christian".

The Gozo Bishop and parish priests should be commended for their well-balanced and positive statement. It did not come a day too early. Indeed, many believe that if the relatively recent characteristics of the main band marches continue, the Church in Malta and Gozo will have no option but to take the very drastic and painful decision of limiting the celebrations in honour of the saints to indoor festivities only.

This will be a great pity and will hurt many young and old who yearly long for the week when their town or village "dresses up" to welcome, honour and applaud the figure of their favourite saint being carried shoulder-high through the streets; the saint who has become synonymous with the locality and its people.

However things cannot be allowed to continue the way they are. If there are people - and of course there are - who want to exploit the occasion to get drunk, hurl insults, make fools of themselves, show off their sexiness or macho instincts... it should be made clear to them that the religious feast of a hero or heroine of the universal Church is definitely not the time for such disgusting and offensive behaviour.

And if those responsible, be they priests, festa committees or band clubs, are unable to convince them, then the Church will have no option but to limit its joyful commemoration to indoor religious, liturgical feasts.