Bells should ring during village feast

A lot has been said and written about the decision taken by the Balzan parish priest to stop the ringing of the church bells after nine in the evening. One fully understands that certain residents might feel that the ringing of such bells in the early hours of the morning might cause an inconvenience. But I believe that an exception should be made during the village feast celebrations. Such activities form part of our traditions and render these celebrations unique. Every locality has its own form of traditions surrounding the celebration of the village feast.

Ideally, a form of compromise could be reached whereby the parish priest would allow the ringing of the church bells during the celebrations, when after all, the village square would be alive with activity. Once the celebrations end, then the church bells can fall silent again. In a time where the safeguarding of our cultural identity is a priority, action must be taken to protect our traditions.