Alex Vella Gregory, Swatar
The Church's attack on village feasts
The Church document on village feasts is worrying on many levels, not least the lack of insight shown into the nature of these celebrations.
The first and most dangerous aspect of the document is that the Catholic Church still believes it has the right to determine what is right and wrong outside its remit as a religious institution. Whereas I willingly concur with the Church that some people's behaviour during festa time is not concurrent with Christian doctrine, it is not up to the Church to decide whether such behaviour is acceptable or not. We have a judiciary system for a purpose, and the Church should in no way interfere with what happens outside its walls.
Some may argue that the festa is a religious celebration. Once again, this assumption is totally misguided; the festa is first and foremost a communal cultural phenomenon of which the religious aspect is a small part. If we had to really go by the book, then nothing in the traditional festa qualifies as "religious". None of its manifestations have any basis in liturgical or biblical sources. All the pyrotechnics, band marches, street decorations et al are a product of diverse influences that are particular to time and space. By attempting to change that fabric, the Church is destroying centuries of cultural formation.
Am I suggesting that the festa should be allowed to descend into an orgy of excess? Definitely not, but the limits are those set within the legal system, and not at the whim of the Curia. If there is violent behaviour, it is to be curtailed on the grounds that it is illegal not on the grounds that it is immoral.
Furthermore, it astounds me that the Church should be concerned at village rivalries when very often it is members of the Diocese themselves who fire such arguments. We have witnessed several letters, including in this newspaper, from members of the clergy extolling the virtue of a saint at the expense of another.
If the Curia thinks that the village feast is an excuse for drunken behaviour and violence, then it must be either short-sighted or completely blind. Those who want to get drunk will not wait until the festa to do so, nor will those who have a personal grievance against someone. What happens is they find the festa a good excuse to get even, and such behaviour is to be controlled according to criminal law.
Ultimately, such individuals form only a small part of the festa community. The majority of those who go to the band marches do not behave in such a manner, and when they do get slightly out of hand the police force is always ready to control the situation. I fully agree that excessive behaviour should lead to cancellations of a feast, as has been the case in the past, but to attempt such an attack on the nature of the festa will only increase the people's alienation and dismay with the Church.
It is not the festa which is the cause of the decline of Church attendances, or the general apathy towards religion, it is the Church's attitude which is completely out of touch with issues far more serious than band marches or fireworks.
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Alex Vella Gregory
Oct 24th 2009, 18:54
@ mr schembri
i live near a school...it;s a hassle for me to get to my house when school finishes as the only road that leads to my house is blocked by parents collecting their kids....should we ban schools?? Also, I'm not too fond of football...so an Italy/England win for me means only noise and traffic jams...should we also ban football???
The issue at stake here is not just about festas, its about the willingness to discuss and compromise....and instead all we get is the Church dictating what we should and shouldn't do. It's ironic that under the excuse of making the festa more spiritual, the Church is only promoting intolerance
D Vella
Oct 24th 2009, 15:12
People have always partied in one way or another,occasionally folk need to unwind,it is nothing new,it has been going on since time immemorial. It just so happens that in Malta,as often happens on these Islands these day of merriment has been hijckd ever so subtly by the Chuch and it's Saint's. Not enough that they have literally taken over now they want to control the amount of fun to be had. It's true that some do go to excess but there are always the police to take care of that.As Mr Gregory says,let the Church take care of it's own house,and deal with the far more serious abuses of liberty it impopes on us,and let the people eat,drink,sing,dance and make merry. Goodness knows they have very little else to be happy about.
laurence schembri
Oct 24th 2009, 14:30
If you lived in a village like Gudja where they have three feast in a space of two-and-a-half-months you will change your views. Today you will find only two roads that will see you out of this village and willingly, later I will take one of them. Seeking peace and qiuet.
Alex Vella Gregory
Oct 24th 2009, 12:58
3. why does the document conveniently ignore REAL isses such as safety during fireworks, and the sound levels of fireworks?
4. why is it OK to pay good money to get the right to carry the statue but not ok to donate money to the band club to make the famous 'surprises' during band marches?
and finally....it is worrying to hear the phrase 'Alas we left the festas in younger hands for far too long'....firstly because a huge number of young people are involved in festas in a VERY good way...and secondly....are we suggesting that the festa is the exclusive right of the old and middle-aged??
as for the law...for better or worse, the law is there for us all, including the church. The law is there because we voted democratically for politicians who passed those laws, and therefore should be respected even if you do not totally agree with them. The Church is a spiritual body, not a legislative one.
Alex Vella Gregory
Oct 24th 2009, 12:53
The greater part of evens celebrated for the festa are organised by non-religious group (the band clubs, street decoration committees, fireworks committees), and the greater part of events within the festa do NOT have any religious origin whatsoever. There is notthing religious about fireworks or band marches...HOWEVER within the festa environment there is a religious element involved. Should we eliminate all that constitutes the festa? DEFINITELY NOT, because it is 1. part of our cultural heritage and 2. it is the only event that brings together the whole community and which is primarily aimed at Maltese people and not tourists.
Whether we like it or not, there are MANY elements which are of pagan origin...for God's sake we carry a statue (very often dripping with gold) all around the village. I have no problems with the church emphasising the liturgical aspect of the festas, but seriously
1. What difference does it make if the statue comes out of its niche 7 days before instead of 3?
2. If all saints are equal, why does the Church allow the distinction between primary and secondary feasts? which distinction leads to massive rivalries and insults
C. Farrugia
Oct 24th 2009, 10:49
I am in complete agreement with the views expressed in this letter. The document completely ignores the historical perspective and what happend in past attempts by the Church to enforce its decisions on the wider community. I will highlight some events;
1. When the church suppressed the Confraternity of Our Lady of Lourdes in Qrendi, the reaction was for the supporters to organise what they called 'Festa Nazzonali' on 8th September each year. Again there were band, fireworks and all - but also a sense of greivance against the Curia authorities. After 40 years of such resistance, the Church gave way
2. When the Church decided to ban secondary feasts from decorating the whole village in 1935, these same villages kept on resisting till they got back the go ahead by the Government in 1974. The church used to use police to enforce darkness in streets from where the statue of Our Lady used to pass outside of the piazza core area
Do we need to go back to that hassel and ill-feeling? Cannot the church use better its energies on social problems, spiritual education and modernisation of its media inspired by modern needs rather than financial considerations?
Joseph Seisun
Oct 24th 2009, 10:37
@ Alex Vella Gregory
"Some may argue that the festa is a religious celebration. Once again, this assumption is totally misguided; the festa is first and foremost a communal cultural phenomenon of which the religious aspect is a small part."
I don't agree with you. The festa is a religious celebration consisting of indoor and outdoor celebrations.
The Church is not attacking village feasts. It is finally taking steps to re-direct certain outdoor celebrations which are totally opposite to Christian worship. You too are against such behaviour.
And finally, I am not Roman Catholic just Christian.
Franco Farrugia
Oct 24th 2009, 10:15
I disagree completely with Mr Vella Gregory. I will try to summarise why:
1. It is the Church's competence to see what goes on in the external part of the festivities for a Patron saint. There would be no outside celebrations, were it not for the religious feast. Try organising a three-day or a five-day outside celebration without the religious origin: you will probably not be given a permit by the State/Police; you will not have people taking part; you will not have any finances to carry out such celebrations.
2. You are trying to limit the Church to the sacristy. While I would be among the first to put the Church in its place, I still realise that the Church's mission goes further, much further from within its walls, as you state.
3. Since when do we 'trust' the legal system? Ever heard of the saying that the law is an ass? Could it be that the State/legal system is leaving it up to the Church to clean its own home?
4. In your 5th para., you are half right, half wrong: to my knowledge, rarely do you find clergy nowadays fomenting division IN OUR ARCHDIOCESE!
...
William P Flynn
Oct 24th 2009, 10:02
Spot on!
Another thing that intrigues me is how the parish priest can dictate that no other celebration is to take plce in their town or village at festa time except the one relating to their patron saint. Have I got this wrong?
J Farrugia
Oct 24th 2009, 09:43
It's the church which has the key to all religious feasts since we don't want carnivals. Saying that " the festa is a religious celebration ... this assumption is totally misguided;" may I say that it is in your mind that this principle is misguided. So you want the church to put a full stop to all the feasts the Church celebrates, and then you will know who is ultimately responsible for the village feasts. But off course we as diehard enthusiasts will not accept your suggestions. We want the village festa to be a spiritual and a civil celebration of the virtues and principles of the saint being celebrated. No. We dont want paganism in our feasts. Alas we left the festas in younger hands for far too long and it is about time that we true festa lovers show the real way for one and all (even this correspondent) how to celebrate a catholic feast in our country.