Of feasts and feasting

Parish feasts do not create problems. It is the feasting that does so. Mind you, not the kind of feasting that is kept within bounds. There is no harm in having a sizeable crowd hailing the appearance of the titular statue at the door of the church before being taken around the town or village. There should be no objection to the popular acclamation that takes place when the statue is carried into the church for its subsequent year-long respite.

Neither does one find fault with bands saluting the statue as it comes out of, or enters the church, or with their entertaining the crowds with band marches; even if the crowds are dwindling as the years go by.

Faith has to have its outward manifestation. Inner feelings are bound to be expressed externally and humans would not be living up to their nature were they to suppress them. Outward demonstration shows how body and spirit interact.

So what is the problem with Maltese feasts? A subject that must be on the agenda of a seminar being held on February 14 at which top government and Church people, the police, band clubs and fireworks' enthusiasts will be present.

On the face of it, it lies with the excesses that, unfortunately, year after year are committed by fanatic or overzealous parishioners especially in some localities where two feasts are celebrated, the titular one and a secondary one; and/or where there are two band clubs acrimoniously opposed to one another.

Hurling insults not only at the opposite "tribe" but even at their patron saint may be one of the most extreme forms of such excesses. But there are other forms, among which, jibes that, at times, are only "understood" by the villagers themselves. Noise pollution, meaning loud firework explosions, would also form part of such excesses.

Doing away with band marches, or with aerial fireworks, for that matter, is, of course, out of the question. After all, the granting of permission to hold these and other activities lies with the civil authorities and not with the parish priest or the Curia. And it has to be said that the police do their best to exercise control. At times, their turning a blind eye avoids worse situations. But there are excesses that may not lie within their competence and which might, and should, be restrained by legislation.

If one were to adopt the strictly logical approach, one could query the connection between certain types of popular manifestations, and the religious motive, that should run paramount in the mind of all those who celebrate religious feasts in order to pay homage to God and commemorate those, namely the saints, who lived according to His tenets and set an example to be followed by their devotees. Any other premise or point of departure does not make sense.

All those who participate in the feast, at whatever level, are expected to ensure that any feasting has to keep these parameters in mind.

But the fact is that, in quite a number of cases, this does not happen, and the connection between the feast and the feasting defies definition. Blasphemy, insults, taunts, drinking, discos, fireworks' bangs, etc. are certainly not part of such a definition, which is why there have been occasions, in recent years, when the Church authorities have had to take extreme measures and restrict celebrations to liturgical functions performed within the parish church only.

Extreme abuse has to be faced with extreme sanctions. And, yet, will such sanctions eradicate the problem? Not to my thinking. The roots of so many excesses, be they major or minor in nature, are often embedded in age-old rivalries that are difficult to eradicate, which makes the task of finding the right solution a very daunting one. It takes time to change habits and even longer to change quasi-tribal mentalities. In this regard, civic education is a process that needs much more emphasis.

The problem is also compounded with pretensions that are not based on solid ground. Band clubs play an important civic role, especially in small communities. Many of them have performed very well and continue to do so, and not only in the musical field. When it comes to feasts, they are very much part of the feasting, and several of them act responsibly. But that is where their brief stops. The pastoral and liturgical elements are beyond their competence. And this also applies to the normal day-to-day running of the parish.

Situations where band clubs act as if the feast were run by them (as a number of them seem to imply) run contrary to this basic logic.

That is not to say that we are at a dead end. An open dialogue between all concerned is needed. There are parishes that have an ongoing consultation process that has given good results.

Why not have it in every parish, as long as the proper parameters are respected.