According to a news release issued two days ago by the National Statistics Office (NSO) village festas cost an average of €12,155 per year. In 2011 this amounted to a total of €1.5 million which is a highly conservative figure. If band clubs and fireworks factories were included in the equation, the annual turnover, in some cases, would exceed €100,000. Some villages, especially in the Southwestern region of the island, pride themselves in their lavish fireworks programmes, which year after year attract more tourists and locals alike. Even though firework factories do not have to contend with any labour costs, since members work on a voluntary basis, the expenses involved in buying raw materials, technological equipment for synchronised displays and insurance, are soaring, due to safety considerations. Other villages which have no fireworks tradition, devote their entire attention to the musical aspect, spending thousands of Euros on band marches which are especially anticipated on festa-Sunday mornings. Such activities alone, must outnumber the financial amounts claimed by parishes.

According to the NSO, last year 122 parish festas were held, involving 3,870 organisers. There were a further 8,173 people who participated in the religious processions. The vast majority, not only involve themselves voluntarily, but in most cases dig deep into their own pockets to sustain their local band clubs or fireworks factory. On the other hand the NSO said that in 2011, income for parishes was circa €1.3 million, which amounts to €10,600 per village festa.

This research was carried out through a survey of 75 parishes in Malta and Gozo, with the NSO relying on respondents’ information; the survey had a global response rate of 97.5%, meaning that participation was at its maximum.

Without casting any doubts on the methodology and integrity of the survey, some of the financial figures submitted are highly questionable. Anybody with some kind of involvement in the organisational aspect of village festas ought to notice that both the expenses and the income are likely to be much higher.

A closer look at the breakdown of expenses, reveals that on average, parishes are claiming to have spent €981 on their festa publication whilst their average declared income is €876. In other words they are claiming that this is a loss-making exercise, a highly dubious claim, considering that apart from the door-to-door donations which in some towns and villages are dwindling, the village festa is the parish’s main source of income. Another major expense which is usually a financial burden on parishes is street lighting, the cost of which has continued to soar over the years. Typically, a parish would hire a contractor to set up the lights. The parish would then foot the bill for electricity consumption. On the other hand, much of the work in connection with street decorations is done on a voluntary basis, with enthusiasts contributing to raise the necessary funds for restoring or adding new attractions.

Although the biggest challenge for church authorities during a Maltese festa seems to be that of maintaining control of the people, owing to the exponential rise in the popularity of festas among the youth, some parishes still complain of incurring losses. Such claims may be true in certain localities where there is a lack of tradition or sense of belonging; but in villages that pride themselves on having two band clubs or a secondary festa, the story might be completely different. Meanwhile, Gozitan parishes in the majority of cases, are still in a position to register some profit from the village festa, owing to the great influence which the church still holds on the sister island.

Indeed it would be worthwhile if in future, such an exercise from the NSO included all the major stakeholders in the village festas, and not just parishes. This would reveal a much more realistic picture of the significant economical contribution, generated throughout the summer months by the humble village festas which at the end of the day offer a unique experience, free of charge.