There will be fewer fireworks but a greater emphasis on cultural and social events this year to mark the 1,750th anniversary since the martyrdom of St Lawrence, who is the patron saint of Vittoriosa.

The parish and the organising committee of special feasts have decided to hold back on pyrotechnic displays and instead use the money saved to present a deeper insight into the significance of the feast from a historical and literary standpoint.

When contacted, Vittoriosa archpriest Fr Joe Caruana said the parish and the people in charge of the external feast events decided to come up with another angle to celebrate the feast of their patron saint. This they did by earmarking less money for fireworks and dedicating the funds saved to social and cultural events such as the convention and symposium they have lined up for next week.

"Instead of decrying the profane aspect of the feast, we have decided to be proactive by organising these events that will provide a wider vista of the cultural and religious aspect of the celebration.

"And this we intend to carry on doing in the years to come. Perhaps it is high time other parishes start thinking on these lines to give a new meaning to these celebrations," Fr Caruana said.

One of the first activities in this series is a public convention on the cult of St Lawrence called Il-Birgu u l-Kult Lejn San Lawrenz to be held at the parish church in Vittoriosa on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The speakers will include Guglielmo de Giovanni-Centelles who will talk about the devotion to the saint and Fra John Edward Critien, Grand Cross of Justice of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and Knight Resident at Fort St Angelo, who will deal with St Lawrence and the church in Vittoriosa during the reign of the Order of the Knights of St John.

The rest of the speakers are Mgr Charles Scicluna who led the case for the canonisation of Dun Ġorġ Preca and who will talk about the devotion the saintly priest had for St Lawrence, and Lino Bugeja who will focus on the cult of the saint in Malta in the Middle Ages. The other speakers will be Ġorġ Peresso, Mgr Lawrence Gatt, Lorenzo Zahra and John Porsella Flores.

The evening, which is expected to last about one and a half hours, will be under the patronage of President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici.

The convention will be followed by a symposium, this time by invitation only, which will be held at the Magisterial Palace at Fort St Angelo on Saturday at 9 a.m. This will be held under the presidency of Fra Critien.

The speakers include Prof. de Giovanni-Centelles, Fr Gino Gauci, Prof. Stanley Fiorini and Mgr Ġwann Azzopardi.