Naxxar feast is akin to a pagan rite

I noted in wonder the recent appeal for donations by Naxxar's parish priest in Flimkien in-Nieqa dated August 2008 (Vol. 45) for Naxxar's festa celebrating Our Lady of Victory.

I have noted in awe the parish priest's dedication of spirit to forge ahead with the festa, and in his words, to offer Our Lady a feast as is due and fitting.

His determination is remarkable in the face of a series of adverse events which have affected the village over the past few months, namely the tragic loss of the life of my aunt, Sina Sammut, in the fireworks explosion in Naxxar, as well as a magisterial inquiry into the alleged illegal possession of fireworks within the premises of one of the village's band clubs, the criminal prosecution in relation to the alleged fireworks possession of certain members of the club, and the heightened pique between the two band clubs in light of these circumstances.

The parish priest is nevertheless undeterred, to the delight of enthusiasts whose devotion to the festive rite overrules any compassion towards the victims of the tragedy.

Yet, plagued by Cartesian doubt, I cannot fail but notice an uncanny resemblance between the resolve to spirited merriment in the name of Our Lady, and the high priests of ancient pagan rites who performed rituals to seek their deities' favour. One such pagan practice was the sacrifice of a virgin to demonstrate to the deity that the community's respect in its regard was held higher than the respect accorded to the most esteemed human life.

In those primitive times, the right to life did not stand in the way of pagan ritual. What is striking in this year's feast, is that a generally highly regarded human life, that of a young, devoted wife and mother of two little children, was disposed in a fireworks tragedy, the use of which is generally not unrelated to the celebration of the Maltese festa. And such is our parish's resolve, that just like in pagan rites, the loss of human life will not stand in the way of celebrating the rite.

Nor will the factions and the tensions which have developed in the village between the two band clubs, nor the grief which still engulfs the surviving relatives of the tragedy, nor the continuing plight of a number of victims who remain in temporary housing.