Reformation Day Activities

Interview: Maltese festa quo vadis

Maltese Festas (Feasts) were in the Curia’s spotlight for about a year after October 2009, when it launched the consultative document ‘Restoring feasts together’. The document’s aim was to restore the spiritual nature of feasts and to make feasts an activity that all the family can participate in. The document brought to the surface a number of issues pertaining to the Maltese feasts’ characteristics, however, the hype around it quieted down as the divorce debate took precedence in the past months. A family doctor by profession, Godfrey Farrugia, who has been striving hard to bring to the fore the inextricable social, cultural,and religious identities expressed in the Maltese feasts, discussed the feasts’ past, present and future with Elaine Attard

“Feasts are an important showcase of all that makes us Maltese. They are one facet of our vast Maltese culture”. Dr Farrugia explained when I met him at his clinic in Żebbug.

“Although my father was a very active president of St Philip Band Club of Żebbug throughout my childhood and early youth, I was more involved in the scouting movement of which I am the local president and in St Aloysius College where I was a student, rather than the society itself. In fact I had chosen to learn to play a non-band instrument, the violin. But as I grew older I became fully aware of the commitment required and I was drawn into St Philip Band Club which increased my sense of identity. Cultural formation for me and many others was greatly influenced by what was organised on the annual calendar of this society. My stint as Mayor of Żebbug brought me in close contact with inter-society relationships and the intricacies of village politics. It was not an easy task to find a balance between the needs and expectations of the three societies that thrive at Żebbug,” he explained.

Feasts, religion and spirituality

“Feasts find their origin in the religious calendar. There is no doubt that the celebrations that were initially confined within the church walls spilled over into the piazzas, streets and houses of the inhabitants taking on their social and cultural attire. One cannot imagine a Maltese festa without the Church celebrations or conversely without the band, street decorations and fireworks,” he started.

As much as the local churches were built slab by slab by the local communities to which they therefore belong, so do the festa celebrations which are totally entwined with devotional expressions towards the respective saint.

Lutheran Hen: Reformation Day

I want to do a few reformation day activities with the children with week since we will be celebrating this church day on Sunday. Today I will be reading to the children out of Paul L. Maier's book Martin Luther A Man Who Changed The World. I found a nice picture of Martin Luther here and hopefully it will busy them so that I am able to read without to many interruptions. Here is a word search that the older children can work on. This week we have also enjoyed singing A Might Fortress Is Our God. Chick #4 almost has the first verse memorized and is working hard on remembering some of the words. Maybe I will find a few other fun to share with you but for now I think this is good.

Performing the Reformation, public ritual in the city of Luther

The scandalous gospel of Jesus, what's so good about the good news?

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica

Reformation day ...

Minutes