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13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 APRIL 2020 NEWS Petards are out this summer, but explosives storage poses no danger KARL AZZOPARDI THE Church's decision to cancel 'external' parish feasts due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a major dampener for the summer calen- dar in Malta (or a welcome de- velopment for those who despise the hellish noise of petards). But one fireworks licensee who spoke to MaltaToday said that fireworks stored for a long peri- od of time in warehouses will not pose any danger while they lie unused. Processions and other public manifestations of religious cel- ebration for religious feasts will not be taking place in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and village feasts may only be held if authorities lift the ban on social gatherings. In any case, feasts will only be held on the Sunday of an actual feast day if it is a public holiday, to allow a thanksgiving pilgrim- age with the statue of the village saint. But the process of manufactur- ing fireworks for a full feast week starts months in advance, and this leaves band clubs and fire- works factories with a logistical and financial headache. A fireworks manufacturing li- censee, who wished to remain unnamed, said that the chance of fireworks self-igniting due to heat is quite low, with such ex- plosive material usually requir- ing temperatures of over 1000°C to catch fire. "As long as fireworks facto- ries are kept well ventilated and cleaned, the dangers are kept to a minimum," he said. While the dangers are quite minimal, what is affected by the such long storage times is the quality of the firework itself. The colours in fireworks are created by the use of met- al salts. Metal salts commonly used in firework displays in- clude strontium carbonate (red fireworks), calcium chloride (orange fireworks), sodium ni- trate (yellow fireworks), barium chloride (green fireworks) and copper chloride (blue fireworks). Among the different characteris- tics in metal salts is density, and the varying densities mean that after such a long time in storage, fireworks do not ignite as initially designed to – or do not have the desired effect. Explosives used in the firework are not compressed, therefore when stored for a long period of time, this will lead to an uneven explosion, producing lower qual- ity fireworks. Asked if the government would be issuing any directives on the storage or disposal of fireworks, the Home Affairs Ministry said that it will be meeting with all relevant parties and stakeholders in the coming days to discuss the way forward. The same pyrotechnics enthu- siast said factories face a financial headache, since this time of the year is the most important for fund-raising. "While feasts are paid for in the previous year, the Good Friday procession, events during Lent and other Holy Week activities prove to be a good source of funding for patron feast celebra- tions… if the situation returns to normal, it will take a couple of years for the feasts to truly regain their lustre, as the return of tour- ists will not be as imminent as some might think. "Tourists prove to be an ex- cellent source of funding during these times, and while we're sure they will return, it will take a cou- ple of years for feasts to return to their former glory," he said. Agreeing with the Curia's de- cision to cancel external feasts in light of the pandemic, he said that he still feels shocked at the new normal that is now part of Maltese life. "This is our life. It's very difficult to be faced by such a circumstance, especially like the one we're living through, it just came from nowhere," he said. The history of fireworks in Mal- ta dates back to the time of the Knights, when such fireworks displays were an expression of rejoicing on special occasions. Pyrotechnics were inspired by cannon shots and musket fire. The 'feu de joie' was a salute by the musketeers to any dignitary. From this came the musketterija which today is a series of hun- dreds of explosions of crackers firing in rapid succession. There are some 35 fireworks factories around Malta and Gozo. "This is our life. It's very difficult to be faced by such a circumstance, especially like the one we're living through, it just came from nowhere" Malta magic: the skies might not be illuminated by the celebration of village patron saints with fireworks