Eighty-nine per cent of people agree with the cancellation of traditional village feasts because of COVID, according to a University of Malta survey by the Theology Department.

Times of Malta had reported in May the health authorities had decided that the celebration of religious feasts will not be permitted this summer for the second consecutive year because of the pandemic.

The rules have since been updated to allow seated events for those who are fully-vaccinated, although the majority of the traditional events, including the Sunday morning street band marches and ground fireworks displays, remain banned.

Figures raise doubts as to how much support feasts might have

Researchers surveyed 1102 people from among University of Malta administration staff,  Junior College students, as well as the public via Facebook.

The researchers admitted in their survey, carried out last December, that the result came as a surprise, especially given the importance given to traditional village feasts by parishes.

“What is striking is that 89 per cent agreed with the cancellation of the village feasts.

“This might sound surprising as these events take a prominent place in the life of most parishes and employ a considerable chunk of their resources and energy.

“The study figures raise some doubts as to how much support these might actually have from the majority of the people,” the researchers said after analysing the responses from 1,102 individuals. 

Summer is a busy time for feasts, drawing both locals and tourists in large numbers. Festi are traditionally about a week-long, with crowded and boisterous celebrations culminating over the weekend.

The feasts were also cancelled in 2020 although some spontaneous activities had still taken place. This had then resulted in large clusters of cases, prompting the health authorities to take a more cautious approach this year.