Village feasts are part and parcel of our culture. No one can but admire the sheer effort that goes into the preparation for mass, the processions, the coloured fireworks, the church decorations and all the rest that comes with it.

There is probably nothing which is as typically Maltese as one of our (unspoiled) village feasts. Tourists come from far and wide to watch in amazement at the richly decorated statues of religious saints are carried round the villages. It truly is an experience like no other.

But it does come at a cost. We are not talking about the cash cost here (which is a totally different argument which we will discuss another day), we are talking about the cost to personal dignity.

All too often, people get far too drunk during the feast celebrations. This includes older people, people in their early twenties, people with children in tow and, perhaps most dangerously, under age children.

We are not, in any way form or manner, pointing the finger at all feast celebrants. Most behave themselves and get carried away on adrenalin. But there are a small proportion of those who attend feasts who do so to simply get as drunk as possible and this is harmful.

Sedqa has, for many years, tried to counter such behaviour with adverts targeted at people who do go to festas simply to get smashed.

The sad thing is that while people are forced to adapt to the village feast mode (even if they do not want to as they are not enthusiasts), many people get away with it.

There are many examples and you merely have to walk around during a feast to see what we are saying. Many youngsters take to drinking a few beers or a cheap bottle of wine during festa celebrations and everyone (including the police) simply turn a blind eye.

People who are drunk in the street often just throw their empty bottles anywhere they see fit, sometimes showering house facades with glass.

If they were sober (or not as drunk), they might have stopped for a moment to think that an old man or woman may live inside the house who might not have the mobility to clean it up.

Add to that the vomit, the urine and the general litter which drunkenness causes and you may

perhaps see what we are getting at.

Many will read this editorial and say “but that is what they do in Paceville, why are they picking on feasts?”. We are not, as we have already made clear, picking on feasts at all. What we are picking on are those individuals, who through drunken behaviour, threaten the wellbeing of others around them – and by them we mean residents, police officers on duty, other feast celebrants, shop owners and the like.

Yes, equally, we condemn such behaviour wherever it is displayed – whether it is in Paceville, Valletta, a village feast, a wedding or even a police station for argument’s sake.

Knowing your limits is very important. Having a few odd drinks to celebrate an event (and dare we say it, even getting a wee bit drunk) never did anyone any harm. But driving under the influence, smashing bottles outside people’s houses, using porches as latrines, starting fights, insulting police officers and making a general nuisance out of oneself is simply not on. After all, if a person were to wake up hung-over in a cell... would it be worth it? It’s a no brainer really.