Parish priests to rein in rowdy behaviour during feasts

J Farrugia

Oct 3rd 2008, 08:34

to all those good christians (sic) who want to destroy our village festas, or want to ban petards, or band marches or church bells, or what not, I say to them you better think it twice. First they are trying to destroy the hunting traditions, then the moral fibre of our country, and now they want to destroy our festas. You will never succeed. No matter what you do. Even if you report us to the EU. we don't give a damn what the EU says.

C. Busuttil

Oct 2nd 2008, 21:28

Only a handful of feasts in Malta give a bad name to the rest, the college of parish priests should have the courage and ban those feasts and not hamper the rest.
I read ridiculous comments by people who have no idea about how a feast is organized and what strong following they have. To you really thing that band clubs continue to attract and involve people for nothing ? to such an extent that no other entity in any locality will dream of? Not even the local football premier league clubs are so organized!!!!!! These clubs are active all year round and not only during the festa week. They organize cultural, sportive and social activities that are very well attended. Band clubs have what other local clubs lack, they adapt and regenerate themselves quite easy. With a exception of few clubs, they have serious and respectable people that manage them.
I am aware that most band clubs work hand in hand with the parish priests and not only with regards the feasts. Some parish priests have to rely on band club members to have some work done, as NOBODY else except them are willing to help.

V Farrugia

Oct 2nd 2008, 20:24

How about separating the religious feasts from the pagan elements? Leave the internal celebrations as they are, keep a simple procession with the statue, and the street decorations. Band marches and fire-works should be left out of the religious celebration completely.

Then, for one week in August, create a competition between all the villages, whereby the separate villages can exhibit their fireworks, band marches and merry-making in a single central venue. It will be chaotic, but it will be concentrated on a single week.

That way everyone will be happy. The church will have its peaceful feast, the rowdy merry-makers will have their party, AND they will get to compete against the others in the same venue, while the rest of the population will know that they have a quiet peaceful summer, save for one week, during which whoever doesn't like chaos, can go abroad.

Joseph Galea

Oct 2nd 2008, 18:33

Let us hope that these efforts include the curtailment of the firing of petards at all times of the day.

J Farrugia

Oct 2nd 2008, 13:30

please note all you church and festa lovers that the parish priests have absolutely no control over outside festivities. The only thing that the parish priests can do is to exhort the people to abide by sane and modest entertainment and reflect on the virtues of the saint. That's all so don't point your fingers to the priests. They have nothing to do with band committees and their supporters. Recently I read about the fattest lie in Malta that parish priests are ordering fireworks en masse. Off course this is not true far from it. In fact parish priests have nothing to do with the ordering of fireworks. And those festa committess which are directly administered by Parish Priests do not take order fireworks. There are lay persons responsible for such duties such as the purchase of fireworks from fireworks factories. So enough lies about parish priests.

M.Fenech

Oct 2nd 2008, 11:50

Hallelujah.
The feast (indoor/outdoor) ultimately belongs to the Church. The band clubs need to fine-tune their activities and keep the feasts as close to religion as ever before. Ultimately, we will loose touch and complete sense of these feasts and will simply turn into a tourism "pagan" attraction!

Marthese Lynn Azzopardi

Oct 2nd 2008, 09:50

Well done. The Parish Priest's action should be commended., but more radical measures should be taken. The Church should distance itself completely from the so-called parish feasts, which are supposed to honour Saints. Let the Church organise its own celebrations with cultural events, sensible exhibitions, religious dramas, and historical films related to the period of the life of the Saint where available (for example Brother Sun and Sister Moon, The Song of Bernardette, A man for All Seasons and so on). The Holy Procession, held in a new, exciting way, including historical pageantry, should be a climax.

On their part, Local Councils should celebrate a Locality Day or Locality Week, on a purely secular basis and wholly detached from any reference to the Saint of the parish. More frivolous events like band marches on the streets, communal games and othe activities for the entire family could be held on such occasions.

If there is a widespread call for separation between the Church and secular affairs, let the Church set the example once and for all and detach itself from shamefulm pagan and base abuse so rampant in the village feasts as they are held at present.

l Galea

Oct 2nd 2008, 09:03

About time. Let's have proper liturgical feasts without the excesses of band marches insulting the other party and excessive drinking.

Our feasts have become simply pagan affairs of binge drinking and insults traded between the supporters of different band clubs.

Hint. Stop the local band clubs from participating in the local feast.