Creatures great and small at annual Mnarja display

Buskett gardens were yesterday injected with life, of various forms, as locals and foreigners gathered to see a variety of animals, fruit and vegetables displayed during the traditional Mnarja festival.

Adults braved the morning sun to get a look at local agricultural produce while children enthusiastically gathered around the various animals such as rabbits, goats, horses, pigs, dogs, chickens and various types of birds.

While some clearly craved to pet their four-legged friends, some toddlers held back but looked on in amazement.

Agrarian Society president Joseph Borg explained that this year the animals had to be enjoyed from behind fences to ensure the people's safety.

Nowadays, he said, people are not accustomed to being around animals so they do not know how to behave around them. This lack of experience may lead to injuries, he cautioned.

Resources Minister George Pullicino said that the Mnarja feast had been celebrated in Malta for hundreds of years and was a tradition that characterised our country.

Times had changed since those days when young men would proudly escort their brides-to-be to the Mnarja festival. The time had come to revise the way in which the feast was celebrated to respond to people's wishes.

Visiting Buskett at midday, in the sweltering summer heat, was not ideal, he said. Something had to be done to rekindle people's interest in the feast and draw them closer to local agriculture that was celebrated during the Mnarja.

Mr Pullicino stressed that Malta's agricultural heritage ought to be respected and protected and listed various measures taken by the government to do just that. With the help of EU funds, the government was helping farmers optimise their products to ensure a quality local produce. Plans were being made to set up local action groups that would allow NGOs and different localities to come together and safeguard tradition, environment and agriculture.

Agreeing with this, acting President George Hyzler then went on to hand out trophies for the best exhibits on show.