For more than one reason the feasts in Malta remain a showground for controversy.  As a state of fact, many would agree that the feasts do not just celebrate the Saint but also get the community together. 

During this last year I have been involved in a fantastic initiative by the Mqabba youth section of the Soċjetà Santa Marija and Banda Re Ġorġ V in an EU financed research project essentially focusing on how young people are relating to the feast culture, the impact of such a culture on youth and the future of the feast in Malta. 

But last Saturday, during Ghandi xi Nghid some other interesting facts popped out of the hat putting in perspective other distinctiveness that are dominating feasts, with an emerging social impact that such events are having on the rest of the community.  In this respect, during this programme I interviewed Dr Saviour Formosa, Senior Lecturer and criminologist at the University of Malta who is contributing a scientific empirical-based paper in a Text I am editing, ‘Young people and the feasts’ that will be published in the coming months. 

Dr Saviour Formosa has brought to light that during the actual feast-day, and the shoulder weeks the rate of crime in that respective community spikes treacherously.

He indicated the following pointers that emerged from the research;

·         The disorderly behaviour increases considerably and so do the reported crimes during the period leading to the feast and the actual day when the feast is celebrated.

·         In the week prior to the feast, at the time when the street decorations are being set up, there is a significant increase in crime in that same village, notably, burglary.

·         The safety and security within the villages hosting the festa is under threat during that period and this indicates a breeding ground of crime and the need for all the entities, religious, secular and enforcement, to come together on this issue.

·         On the festa day per se the chance to be the victim of a crime increases dramatically which might also be related to the fact that large masses of people conglomerate.

·         The findings indicate that the festa interlude is characterised by offences ranging from bodily harm to theft and domestic violence, from drug consumption to ‘private violence’.

But what came as a surprise to many is the following research outcome: the study indicates that prostitution spikes dramatically in the villages on the actual feast day, clearly indicating that this activity is boosted as a result of the festa – irony indeed! 

All of this seems to indicate that the more time passes the more the external celebrations seem to be instigated by a religious cult but essentially becoming secular and profane street parties.  

Dr Andrew Azzopardi is Senior Lecturer, Department of Youth and Community Studies

Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta & Broadcaster - Ghandi xi Nghid 

www.andrewazzopardi.org