Festa aficionados have expressed outrage at calls for the traditional ‘church run’ to stop after the San Cajetan statue in Ħamrun nearly fell to the ground on Sunday.
Public opinion on the traditional runs was divided yesterday with many taking to social media to condemn the tradition as “unnecessarily dangerous” and others insisting there would be no festa without it.
The 800-kilo effigy almost crashed onto the crowds on the church parvis as it leaned forward and to the right as its bearers hurried up the parish church steps in a tradition that started over 100 years ago. Onlookers intervened and assisted the bearers, thus avoiding any damage to the artistic statue.
Public opinion on the traditional runs was divided yesterday with many taking to social media to condemn the tradition as “unnecessarily dangerous” and others insisting there would be no festa without it.
Commenting on a Facebook group by the name of Il-Ħamrun- Kultura-Storja U Niesu (Ħamrun – culture, history and its people), festa buff Max Farrugia, said: “If we were to drop this statue, we would lose a gem of local culture and also hurt people. Something should be done to ensure this doesn’t happen.”
This is being blown out of proportion. No one was hurt and the statue is fine
George Sciberras, the statue’s curator, is tasked with maintaining the 10-foot statue and supervising the bearers.
He said that any talk of abolishing the runs was ludicrous but would not put his newspaper in contact with any of the bearers for their comment.
“This is being blown out of proportion. No one was hurt and the statue is fine,” he said, reluctant to comment, admitting he said he was still shocked by the statue’s close call.
People screamed as the 130-year-old statue almost fell with eye witnesses saying it would have been very badly damaged had it hit the ground.
Henry Zammit Cordina was standing a few metres away from the steps when the incident happened.
“If there weren’t all those people there it would have hit the ground hard and who knows how much damage there could have been. It probably would have been destroyed,” Mr Zammit Cordina said.
One of the bearers was struck on the head by a support pole on which the statue rests during pauses throughout the procession and another sustained minor injuries as he ended up under the effigy when it veered onto the public.
The president of the Ħamrun Liberty Club, George D’Amato, said he felt prohibiting the runs might be a step too far. “Introducing a ramp could ensure that the ages-old tradition is maintained and that it is safe. After all, we all just want to enjoy the feast,” he said.
Festa bloopers
Ħamrun has been the site of two other close calls as the statue had fell onto the crowd in1969 and in 1975.
Senglea saw the statue of The Risen Christ lean over and nearly crash to the ground last May.
In Valletta, the statue of St Paul had to be sheltered from the rain for several hours in 2003.
In Toronto, Canada, a statue of St George was badly damaged when it was dropped during an event organised by the Maltese-Canadian community in 2008.