Nothing compares to the onset of a Mediterranean summer. I still recall the curious expressions on the faces of my history class at Liceo Vassalli when our enthusiastic teacher first introduced us to the mystery surrounding Ħagar Qim and Mnajdra (photo).
It is very probable, we were told, that the ancients built the temples in such a way that the megaliths were purposely aligned with the celestial bodies to mark the flow of the seasons. This enabled the first Maltese to regulate their agricultural practices.
Fragments of the volcanic rock obsidian discovered in the temple whereabouts could only serve to reinforce the idea that the first Maltese had arrived from Sicily. They brought with them goats that ravaged the landscape from the lush vegetation dating back to the Pluvial Age at a time when Europe was covered in ice. Maltese prehistory offers a gem of a study. Let alone inferring about the stock of the temple builders who did so much with supposedly rudimentary technology.
Surely, we must have inherited at least some of the genes.
Filfla surely knows many secrets. Myth and legend are present all over the place as the first glimmer of sunlight cuts through the temples on June 21. The stones are a deafening silence. I would not want to be anywhere else.
Driving the main street on a busy Saturday morning I cannot help notice a group of youngsters in blue shirts busily engaged with festa paraphernalia, lights and other embellishments as preparations get underway for the village feast in a few weeks’ time. The enthusiasts engage in spite of the heat, the traffic and any other commitments they might have.
There must be some who should be anxiously preparing for some kind of examination. Would they be prepared to engage to the same extent in the noble cause of any political party? I do not agree that youths are not interested in politics; they are most likely to respond each time it is made relevant to their issues and concerns.
The lights on the masts in the village of Żurrieq are truly remarkable. They welcome the summer in blue, growing more intense towards the end of July by the time tal-Karmnu celebrate their share until half-way through the summer nights a spec of red filters in. It increases in intensity, displacing the blues until the feast of Santa Katarina is finally commemorated in September. A synchrony of lights that spans the whole of summer.
What would a Maltese summer be without the fireworks, the loud bangs and the colourful displays that attract so many tourists and help spin the economy? Malta without fireworks is like the islands debunking the traditional political party divide: it is simply not on. In our heart of hearts we want the fireworks; they are uniquely spectacular and there is a quite substantial economic turnaround.
However, when, on a summer night, I observe the plume that is left behind when one such glamorous fireworks display is over I cannot stop myself from shivering at the thought of the horribly toxic heavy metal particulates released in ambient air that would be destined to drip into the soil below causing untold harm.
Malta without fireworks is like the islands debunking the traditional political party divide: it is simply not on
I cannot help noticing the flags of Italy, England, Germany and some others sported on residences when it happens that the summer solstice is greeted by the spirit of a major football tournament. Football frenzy is one of a kind; like those youngsters giving their all with the festa décor in the streets there is nothing more alienating than the tense expectation of a top-notch football match and thrills of a last-minute goal that would see one’s favourite team through to the next round. A more than welcome addition to the season’s feel good factor.
How it irks me to see the flag of St George with four lions, not three, one at each of the white corners on the flag. Geoffrey of Anjou must be turning in the grave at this heraldic nonsense of the first order at the Plantagenet passant guardant three lions’ family emblem. Irrational football fans have no time for historical meanderings.
I pay tribute to British Labour MP Jo Cox.
None of us probably knew about the young mother-of-two, a member of the House of Commons until tragedy struck in her Yorkshire constituency. Reportedly, she was a rising star with significant prospects until all was truncated by the violent acts of an unstable mind.
The root causes however seem to go beyond the thorny issue of mental health and how society in general is dealing with it. The spectre of the politics of hate hangs in the background.
In Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s own words, the perpetration of this kind of evil should indeed be isolated. It is resulting in too many promising and capable individuals who are wisely opting to stay away from public life, something no modern society can afford.
By the time this piece gets published the UK referendum on Europe should be out. At the moment the polls seem to indicate a Britain torn apart and the vote could go either way. Shall the UK rise to the occasion and transform this particular moment in European history to lead or leave?
Gordon Brown could not have put it on a better tone. No argument of the leave campaign will ever persuade that should Brexit pass this would not trigger an unprecedented political earthquake not just in Europe but beyond its shores.
Irrespective of the outcome it is ultimately the EU structures that are enduring their toughest test.
Euroscepticism is not a British phenomenon alone but it has long been known or, at least perceived as particularly palpable in the UK. Has the EU rested on its laurels for all these years? The Brussels bureaucrats must be doing their homework well to better evaluate their relevance and that of the institutions within which they operate and represent in the eyes of modern day Europeans.
In the aftermath of June 23, the political pundits shall look closely as the political parties in Britain get back to the drawing board to chart a way forward. There shall be a lot of complex unwinding to be done of the unholy rifts and alliances that have emerged in recent months.
The Tories surely face an uphill struggle compounded by the leadership race that lies in the offing before the next general elections. Will Labour realise that in spite of its more homogeneous position on Europe, Jeremy Corbyn has not been forceful enough as would have been expected out of a Prime Minister in waiting?
The fate of Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole hangs in the balance. Whichever way it goes, but especially if the exiteers prevail, there is a resounding ripple effect to the very core of the concept of a united Europe. That includes us.
The summer solstice could indeed be harping a new dawn.
sapulis@gmail.com
Alan Pulis specialises in environmental management.