As tomorrow morning, many of us will perhaps be hitting that snooze button an extra time or two, since the country will be celebrating the much-loved feast of St Paul's Shipwreck, I wish to take the opportunity to share some thoughts on this weird and wonderful phenomenon we call village feasts.

Granted, they may not be everyone's cup of tea. Though reminiscent of a time when they pretty much were the only form of entertainment village folk had to distract themselves with from the sleepy Mediterranean island life of yore, village feasts have developed and changed significantly over the past decades, as they have adopted elements from our contemporary lifestyles, and dropped off some other traditions by the wayside that do not ring authentic to our ways any longer.

Our churches shine beyond imagination at festa time, as the congregation gathers to renew its love for the patron saint. Festi remain very much a religious ordeal, though the popularity of such purely religious functions may also be facing some challenges of its own.

Love them or hate them, festi represent an integral part of our culture heritage. In fact, I have welcomed the inclusion of these socio/religious celebrations into the prestigious list of UNESCO's intangible heritage.  Bravo!

Where do we go from here though? How do we make sure that like all other intangible heritage, they are afforded the highest degree of protection to make sure they survive, not freeze, but continue to develop and grow into the decades and centuries to come?

In the same way that we cannot imagine someone building a high-rise building in the middle of Valletta, in a way that would alter the iconic skyline of the capital city (though some might say that given recent developments, this isn't too far from the realms of possibility), similarly we must be on our best guard to make sure that nothing happens that would place our festi in jeopardy.

Taking a keen interest in this phenomenon, I make it a point to visit and attend activities organised by our volunteer committees who sacrifice significant parts of their lives to organise these events. They tell me how changing lifestyles, shifting demographics, challenges of gentrification and legal red tape continue to place untold pressures on these events and their continued success.

They explain to me how feasts are organised by volunteers, for no profit at all, and yet they are treated by our authorities in the same way as any other private commercial entity. This means that they are expected to adhere to ever more demanding requests to be able to organise their events. Naturally, the law of the land is there to be respected by all, however I am convinced that there are ways Government can assist organisers and make their lives a bit easier.

Festi are often a very fertile playground for our politicians who make it a point to mingle and have their selfies taken at each marċ and procession, as they project an image of popularity, while sounding out what's making the people on the ground tick.

I believe we must move forward from this type of opportunistic and patronising patronage and truly understand the challenges being faced by our festi organisers and assist them the best way possible.

I acknowledge that from time-to-time funds are made available for our feasts to create new decorations and undertake projects, but I fear these are merely applying frosting on a cake that risks losing its composition all together. The assistance needed by one festa may be very different to the needs of another, as it reflects the challenges of its particular community, and geographic reality.

Our newly acquired UNESCO Heritage status is great, but it is far from enough. It actually burdens us with even more responsibility.

Like the case with all other heritage and history, we must ensure that from a young age, our children appreciate the elements that make them who they are, and why they are important. We must not look at these popular manifestations of community life as a lower level category of heritage, but actually understand what makes them work, as they evolve and grow.

We are lucky enough that in some cases, our festi are flourishing, yet at closer inspection the challenges are bigger than one hopes to discover. I believe we can take the opportunities offered us by this great UNESCO heritage status, and make sure that our festi are just the tip of the iceberg, which is a healthy community that comes together and celebrates itself once a year.

I wish everyone the very best for the Feast of St Paul tomorrow.