Claudia Calleja
Naxxar feast to go ahead despite anger felt by victims of fireworks blast
The site where the Naxxar explosion occurred last March. Photo Chris Sant Founier
As Naxxar prepares to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Victory on September 8 some victims of the fireworks explosion, which killed two locals earlier this year, feel disappointed that celebrations will go on despite the tragedy.
"This year the feast is nothing but salt in the wound for all my family," said Mary Sammut, the sister-in-law of 35-year-old mother-of-two Sina Sammut who died in her home when a blast rocked Triq Ħal Dgħejf on March 12.
"My family and I are very disappointed that the feast is going ahead... She (Sina) died because of fireworks... Her children are still living the trauma...," she added.
She pointed out that Marsaxlokk had cancelled the external festivities of Our Lady of Pompeii earlier this month as a sign of mourning for the victims of the Simshar tragedy and, last year, Birkirkara's St Helen outdoor festivities were called off after five men died in an explosion at the St Helen Fireworks Factory.
"Sina died in her own home because of fireworks. She was not manufacturing fireworks in a factory," she insisted, "and yet the feast is going ahead".
The explosion that killed Sina Sammut is suspected to have been caused by the other victim of incident - 47-year-old Paul Camilleri - when he was allegedly manufacturing fireworks inside his garage that neighboured the Sammuts' house.
Three houses were completely demolished in the blast and others badly damaged.
"When they came to place the feast lights on the façade of my house, I told them to remove them... Let them place them somewhere else... I won't let them attach the lights to my house," Mary Attard said.
She added that it angered her when, a few days ago, she received a flyer in which local councillors said they thought the Peace Band Club should be re-opened by the time of the feast.
The band club has been closed down ever since the police found fireworks stored in the basement, shortly after the explosion. The entire band committee were charged in court over these allegations.
Another Naxxar resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, also felt that the feast ought to be cancelled as a sign of solidarity with the victims of the Naxxar explosion.
"It would make more sense if the money used for the feast went to helping the victims," he said adding he feared there may be trouble during the feast when both the Peace Band Club and the Victory Band Club will be playing marches.
Peace Band Club secretary Victor Gauci confirmed that the band will be participating in the festivities. He said he understood the suffering that explosion victims faced and the club was "ready to play our part to limit the extent of the feast."
More details will be revealed in a statement to be issued today, he said.
The vice-president of the Victory Band Club, Vince Debono, said that, once the external festivities committee decided that the feast would be held, the club tried to "include signs of mourning".
Fireworks that are usually fired throughout the six-day celebrations will only be fired on the last two days and the march will cut down its performances.
The usual precautions would be taken to avoid trouble during the feast and this would be done with the help of the police.
Questions were sent to Naxxar's archpriest Evan Caruana, regarding the decision to go ahead with the feast, but no answer was forthcoming by late yesterday evening.
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19 Comments
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anthony cassar
Aug 29th 2008, 23:42
it has got nothing to do with catholicism !
it's just business, simple business-
no feast no revenue !!!
L Galea
Aug 29th 2008, 20:53
@m farrugia
Residents should go to vote and show their disapproval on their vote. That is the only way to get the message across in Malta.
Alex Camilleri
Aug 29th 2008, 18:47
Further proof that the feasts we celebrate in Malta are more PAGAN that CHRISTIAN.
0 marks for sensitivity.
m farrugia
Aug 29th 2008, 18:34
Instead of working hard and appealing for the Peace Band Club to be reopened, residents would surely appreciate if the Local Council carries out its functions properly. Probably next week areas of Naxxar will get a much needed rushed once a year clean up from dog litter, in the same way that 21st September Avenue was patched up a day before the last council election. Some pavements and streets, such as Triq Ignazio Micallef and pavements of Triq l-Oratorju, are literally strewn with dog litter. Emails to the council remain unanswered.
The residents main concern is a healthy and clean environment and not the village festa. A street sweeper once a week is the least basic service they can ask for.
m farrugia
Aug 29th 2008, 18:13
Not only is the festa being held.Naxxar residents received appeals from the parish priest for donations to cover electricity bill for this year of about Lm3000. They also received the Local Council leaflet, in which councillors after mentioning the tragedy, said that life must go on. The councillor also appealed to foreginers to join in the festivities and for the reopening of the Peace Band Club, which had been closed by the Police after fireworks were found illegally stored inside the club, in the middle of the village piazza.
Besides boycotting the festa, Naxxar residents can show their disapproval by not voting in the upcoming local council election. Are these the people we want to run our locality?
Residents hope that at least this year they will not have to endure a full night of blasting disco music two days before the feast, a few metres away from the Police Station. Calls to the Police Station at 2am were useless. But according to the same councillor this happens only once a year. And then entertainment at weddings has to stop by 11pm, even though it happens only once in a lifetime.
J INGUANEZ
Aug 29th 2008, 16:07
Tacitus claimed that Nero watched Rome burn while merrily playing his fiddle!!!!
joanna jibiri
Aug 29th 2008, 14:30
how quickly people forget. in malta the feast comes before everything else. the two victims were part of the community if u all forgot. dont u think they deserve all the community showing respect. and u should showed that by cancelling the celebrations this year. after all its the feast fireworks that caused the tragedy. u wanna celebrate a religious feast when ure being selfish. god bless u all.
Maria Dolores Fenech
Aug 29th 2008, 13:45
I thought Fr Evan was sensitive and would have showed solidarity with the innocent people involved. It would have been better if instead of 'celebrating' this year's feast, the money was given to the families involved in the tragedy.
Sometimes I wonder if the church in Malta is still the church of Jesus Christ.........
Anton Portelli
Aug 29th 2008, 13:33
"the church authorities ............. seem utterly insensitive to the suffering that the families ........"
Anyone expecting Church Authorities to be sensitive.................this shows quite well how sensitive thy are.
Many are now realizing how sensitive are church authorities. Yes they are when it comes to their income or their show of dominance.
Absolutely SHAME ON THEM.
Franco Farrugia
Aug 29th 2008, 12:45
But what do you people expect???????
Only yesterday, on Smash Tv, there was a programme on the B'Kara Feast and one of the committee members said - I heard him myself - and i quote liberally: Well, we DID have a tragedy last year with the explosion of the fireworks factory where some of our colleagues died ... but well .... heqq... life goes on, hux ... and this year we made sure to have a proper feast ....'
So ... life goes on, hux?!
Mario (Marinton) Gauci
Aug 29th 2008, 12:42
I for one will be boycotting the feast this year. I am disgusted and am sure that the church authorities have got this wrong and seem utterly insensitive to the suffering that the families of this tragedy are going through.
Shame on you!
Karen Zammit Manduca
Aug 29th 2008, 12:38
Shame!......but I don't think we can expect much more because when it comes to feasts, selfishness steps in. Otherwise, why would the feast organisers be so much more interested in letting of petards and irritating all living in the surrounding areas, as was experienced last week during the feast of St. Helen in Birkirkara? Many, if not most, Maltese would be happy enough to celebrate saints' feasts in the proper way - in church - and perhaps enjoy a colourful fireworks display or two during the evenings of the feast days without having to endure the unbearable noise generated by petards going off at all hours of the days preceding the feasts.
But, I repeat, when it comes to the feast organisers, it is what they like not what the majority would want.
v.scicluna
Aug 29th 2008, 12:37
So when fireworks manufacturers lose their lives while working voluntarily the feast is cancelled. Yet, when an innocent mother and wife is killed in her own home because of somebody else's selfishness the feast is held. But at least the band will play less loudly and they'll perhaps throw in a funerary march or two and the bombardment will be limited to just two days. How considerate of them. Maria bambina will really appreciate your concern.
Rita Camilleri
Aug 29th 2008, 12:37
I think this is utterly disgusing!!!!. And we pride ourselves in being catholic!! Has the Parish Priest of Naxxar any say in this? I would suggest that all the money wasted in fireworks and all that it takes to organise the feast should be given to all the victims who lost everything in blast.
Simon Joseph Aquilina
Aug 29th 2008, 12:16
Where are our Christian values? If the ‘festa’ comes to celebrate the village patron then the people of that village should ask what that patron would really want! What would the ‘Bambina’ want? A group of people jumping in front of a statue shouting who know what, or a group of people who enter in church and say a prayer for the people who lost their lives in this tragedy? What Christian values do all the ornamentals on the roads have? What Christian values does the ‘banda’ have? What do we worship; the statue or who the statue represents? If this feast goes on then it will be a clear sign that Malta is no longer a Christian country but a pagan one where people dance in front of a statue and worship their own vanity! In this case true believers expect the Bishop himself to intervene!
Roberta Rizzo
Aug 29th 2008, 12:13
I am ashamed to say I come from Naxxar. If the Parish Priest continues in this fashion , it only goes to show that the festa is not really about the devotion but the fireworks and parades. The parish priest should be a man and respect this pain on the Tragedy victims. Festa yes fireworks no.
J. Schembri
Aug 29th 2008, 10:43
Even the two fireworks victims of Zurrieq are already forgotten. This year another extra activity was organised in the village as part of the feast's celebrations.
J Farrugia
Aug 29th 2008, 10:16
As a festa lover I thought that Naxxar will this year forfeit the feast of il-Bambina. But I was wrong. How can they celebrate a festa when they are still hit by the illegal explosion and deaths??? What is there to celebrate? Families who lost their loved ones? Families who lost all that they had worked for, their house, their belongings? What is there to celebrate? How insensitive are those who lead the Band Clubs in Naxxar? And the village priests? I know that they are only responsible for the internal festivities which by all means let them continue. I remember when the Parish Priest of Luqa Fr Camilleri died because of someone else's carelesness, even if grudgingly, the village feast was not held in 2003. The same has occurred in Marsaxlokk. No festa except internal celebrations. I hope that wise council will prevail with the Naxxar leaders and that they will not hold neither reduced band marches nor limiting any "ecesses". I hope that the feast will not be held at all. That should be the common stand. The wounds are still open, let them not rub salt any further.
Anthony Borg
Aug 29th 2008, 09:37
Life is cheap in Malta and as long as we pray for the victims its OK. Its about time that the ones who feel strongly about what happened with the victims of the Naxxar tragedy stood up and be counted.
Why not organise a boycott of the fiesta, stop donating towards the expenses, refuse to have street decorations and I am sure that the people of naxxar can think of a few other things.
Don't just write to the times, do something to show your disgust and disapproval.
These fiestas have become nothing but big business and more than likely it is they who are putting pressure to go ahaed.