The long-lost tradition of firing artillery cannon to honour a Christian saint was yesterday rekindled as eight rounds were fired from Valletta's Saluting Battery to mark the feast of St Paul Shipwrecked.

Tourists and locals lined the railings at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta to witness eight consecutive shots fired by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna re-enactors wearing 19th century royal artillery gunner costumes.

Gunners marched into their positions and, as their commander gave the orders, one by one they lit the charges that let out loud, smoky bangs that echoed over the Grand Harbour.

The thunderous bangs were then replaced by the sound of applause of onlookers appreciating the initiative organised jointly between the foundation and Valletta council.

Yesterday was the first time since the late 1800s, that a full round of artillery was fired in honour of a saint, and foundation chairman Mario Farrugia said the idea was to maintain this tradition every year to mark the feast of St Paul.

During a running commentary to the public, Mr Farrugia explained how, in the past, gun powder was strictly controlled by the state, so feast days were marked by the firing of gun salutes, mortars, petards and musketry, which were eventually replaced by fireworks as we know them today.

Traditionally, the principal feasts for which gun salutes were provided were the feast of St John, the patron saint of the Order of St John, and the feast of St Paul, the patron saint of the Maltese.

In the case of St Paul, who was one of the founding fathers of the Catholic faith, no restraint was placed on the scale of gun salutes. With the arrival of the French in 1798, this tradition was abolished to be restored by the British two years later. Nevertheless, the protestant British did not approve of this practice, which they considered idolatrous, and they eventually managed to stamp out the custom completely by the end of the 1800s.

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