Feasts and fireworks are rarely out of the headlines these days. All too often, however, for the wrong reasons. Though both potentially inspiring and beautiful things, they are being misused, abused and causing great irritation to several people.
This is not just the view of this newspaper. The Church has come to this conclusion too. Commenting earlier this year, Mgr Anton Gouder said that "pique, fanaticism and anti-social behaviour" superseded everything else on feast days.
Mgr Gouder said that certain feasts had become such a headache for parish priests that some had left their post. "Are we talking about a feast in honour of a saint, or Gaza?" he asked.
The reference to Gaza can have a dual meaning: The unruly manner in which people conduct themselves as well as the explosions that have, unfortunately, become as synonymous with the particular day as paying tribute to a special saint.
The elderly, the sick, the young, those who work shifts and pets are all made to suffer the effects of one petard that is louder than the other. Whether it is an alarm call at 8 a.m. or 11 p.m. there is no respite and no escape. Add to that the number of summer cultural events that are being ruined.
Yet, as Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano pointed out - seemingly reluctantly - when the Royal Malta Golf Club made an unsuccessful attempt to stop the launch of the fireworks from near its premises at the end of last month, there is no law to regulate noise pollution.
But this is just one facet. Worse, because of the dire consequences it can bring about, is the damage to human limb and property that certain fireworks can cause.
The argument over what caused the recent fire at the golf club in Marsa will rage for some time. But what cannot be denied is that a number of objects landed in the grounds as Qormi celebrated one of its feasts - from a foot-long piece of twisted metal shrapnel to small but potentially deadly unexploded petards.
Few people would advance an argument that feasts should be banned. On the contrary, they should be jealously guarded because they form a central part of Malta's cultural and religious fabric. But as Bishop Nikol Cauchi pointed out in an interview back in March, "the Church's internal feasts are conducted in a way and with the dignity that they should be... the external ones have taken on a Carnival atmosphere".
The time has long past for action to be taken. The problem is, who is going to take what by local standards would be brave and probably controversial steps?
Though the Church has spoken out on the issue of late, it has done little in concrete terms to do something about the situation.
On the other hand, the government, as well as the opposition which should be there to lend its support to resolve an issue of this nature, has failed to tighten legislation and enforcement when it comes to both the rowdy and noisy elements of feasts.
The irony is that we can have the best of both worlds. We can have wonderful feasts that respect religious sentiment as well as fireworks displays that provide visual pleasure.
It is both in the interest of the Church and the authorities to bring this about. So what are they waiting for?