How students spent Easter holidays

During the Easter holidays I took the opportunity to meet friends while dedicating time to study for the upcoming exams.

The word ‘holiday’ should mean taking a break from the usual routines, having time to relax and unwind. But for students, holidays are a time to try to catch up on assignments and studying, and to do some side reading and research to try to enhance their notes and understanding of the subjects.

To a certain extent I think religious practice may be slowly declining in Malta, and not only among youngsters. The distractions and de­mands of today’s society render many people too busy to handle everything at once.

One sees many young people ‘celebrating’ not out of belief, but as an excuse to have fun. In the village feasts, for example, it is not uncommon to see young people drunk and using foul language, disturbing other people who may wish to truly enjoy the festive atmosphere. Jeremy Farrugia, B. Commerce, 3rd year.

I spent the Easter holidays studying to prepare for the exams and spent time with family and friends.

I consider these holidays essential prior to the exams as I have long hours at University and so don’t have much time to study at home.

I think that religious traditions are on the decline in Malta as the lifestyle of young generations is so different to that of previous generations.

However, the element of sacrifice is still felt greatly as many people refrain from eating chocolate or meat and give money to help the poor. Michaela Farrugia, B. Comm, 1st year.

My initial Easter target is primarily to use wisely the ‘free’ days available, and work, study, and erase a chunk from my to-do list.

But I always end up doing something else completely unrelated.

I guess it’s a matter of character but I find it hard to concentrate when I don’t have a lot on my plate.

Throughout the Easter holidays, the religious element is felt greatly. It is a feast where people feel they belong to a community. Yet the amount of money spent on the events and the worship of statues while following them around town, harks back to paganism.

The essence of feasts is not declining. There will always be people who question the way our cosmos works.

Seeing it from a sociological, Marxist point of view, I think Malta is a typical case where religion (and the subsequent events it organises) have managed to impose a status quo on the people and maintain the insular mentality that has always been connected with the country. Jacob Piccinino, Communications with Theatre Studies, 2nd year.