With the Zabbar feast now over and done, the festa season is now practically over.

At the end of the season we may congratulate ourselves there were no major accidents or incidents this year.

No fireworks factory blew up, no lives were lost.

No riots or fighting occurred at those feasts where rivers of beer were consumed.

Is this a fluke or the result of concerted action?

One may argue that the lack of fireworks accidents show that the recent upgrades of the laws and regulations concerning fireworks seem to have worked. Unless, of course, unfortunately another accident happens and lives are unnecessarily lost.

That there were no major riots or fighting shows a general improvement in the mentality of the people. There are still diehards and there are still a number of feasts which engender intense parochial rivalry but the effective action by the Curia some years back which banned the next year’s celebration if major fighting occurred seems to have had a decisive effect.

But all this does not mean everything went swimmingly.

There were reports, subsequently hushed up, that the church in Safi was robbed of its silver which was on display during the feast. This once again highlights the importance of added security in churches in those days where the churches are open for a longer time, frequented by more people and where many of the persons involved in the church would be heavily involved outside the church. Once again this also highlights the importance of parishes keeping a strict record of their heritage valuables by means of proper inventories.

If fortunately there have not been any fireworks accidents, last Sunday’s feast at Zabbar pointed at a different kind of risk. The annual bicycle and motorbike pilgrimage along heavily patronised roads can become quite dangerous. Which leads one to ask why is it we block entire roads for races but then leave bikes at risk from passing cars on a pilgrimage?

The summer nights have been beautifully lit up by fireworks from all towns and villages. That is part of Malta’s heritage and it does not seem the rules forbidding late night fireworks have been broken. However many still cannot agree with the blocking of arterial roads such as the Regional Road twice to accommodate two particular feasts.

There are still those who would want to go further, do more, and if possible outbid the rivals. One could note groups of festa aficionados going to nearby Sicily to see how they do feasts there and some copying of Sicilian traditions have been noted here and there. After all, many of the traits which make up a Maltese festa have come from abroad.

Although many often say that festas are a prime tourist attraction, they must also realise that the convoluted language and ritual which make up a Maltese festa are not easily translatable. Foreigners, for instance, fail to see why fireworks have to be let off as early as 8am. No amount of explanation will make sense to a normal tourist.

With the festas over, and with school reopening next week, Malta settles down to its normal rhythm. There is still so much to enjoy in Malta nevertheless, perhaps even more now that the hordes have gone.