With schooldays over, the summer season, closely associated with village feasts, enters into full swing.

Most of the village feasts are held during the months of July, August and September, although there are a few others that are held earlier – such as the feast of St Paul in Valletta in February, that of St Publius in Floriana in April and that of the Immaculate Conception in Cospicua in December.

There are then other feasts that are held in June – much to the chagrin of the younger generations who would still be studying for their end-of-year examinations.

There is a marked difference between each and every feast, and each locality has its own particular characteristics which distinguish it from the rest, even when it comes to the feast of the patron saint. Feasts that, for example, are held close to the sea provide a spectacular background. Then there are others which are famous for the boisterous environment they are held in, often as a result of rivalry that exists.

Feasts are part and parcel of our tradition, and are often an occasion for family reunions. People who have been away from the island for quite a while programme their visit to Malta to coincide with the village feast of the locality they lived in before they moved away.

Feasts provide the chance for people to return to their roots. Many who have left the village or town they were brought up in because of marriage or other reasons return to their locality on the feast day. It is often the case that people still feel that they belong to the locality they grew up in more than they feel part of the place they move to when they grow up.

There are, however, negative aspects of feasts that need to be seen to. One of them is, for example, that they provide an occasion for excessive drinking which is often the cause of arguments or, worse, brawls among people who would not be in full control of themselves.

It sometimes happens that minors are seen with beer bottles in their hands, swaying from one side of the road to another. Although legislation controlling the sale of alcohol to minors has been toughened, it is not always implemented, and village feasts are the “perfect occasion” for many youngsters to experiment with alcohol. What is sad is that sometimes it is the parents who initiate them to drinking alcohol during the village feast.

The authorities must not turn a blind eye to this. Although the police have bigger problems to see to during village feasts, they also have the duty to monitor such situations and take action accordingly.

The rivalry mentioned earlier is also a matter of concern if this gets out of control. While competition is healthy and there is nothing wrong in trying to have the best and most colourful decorations, at the same time this rivalry should never be allowed to get out of control. Band club committees should be the first to give an example of this.

Unfortunately, there have been occasions in the past when village rivalry led to incidents and people got hurt. This “forced” the Curia to take action and order a ban on outdoor activities. It is hoped that lessons have been learnt.

Fireworks are another hot topic. While it is hard to imagine a feast without fireworks, on the other hand fireworks enthusiasts should exercise more caution in their production and also show more respect to others when they are let off. For example, the loud bangs that jolt people out of their beds at 8am are nothing but waste of money.

Feasts are there to stay. It is up to us to make them more entertaining and less of a nuisance to others.