Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/714702
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 AUGUST 2016 13 News Santa Marija feast: will Rotunda be granted the title of basilica? The local 'festa' season reaches its peak in the middle of August with the Feast of the Assumption, as Mosta expects Rotunda to become a basilica ANDREA ROSSITTO TONIGHT and tomorrow, thou- sands of people will line the streets of Mosta, many of them wearing blue to celebrate the annual feast of Santa Marija. However, this year, on the occa- sion of the 41st anniversary of the coronation of the altarpiece of the Assumption, Mosta parishioners could have more reason to cele- brate as they are eagerly waiting to know whether Archbishop Charles Scicluna will announce the Rotun- da sanctuary as a basilica. "This is one of the biggest feasts in Malta, and crowds throng the town's streets to enjoy the awe-in- spiring fireworks displays, the hun- dreds of lights decorating the vari- ous village churches, the marching bands and the statue bearers car- rying their patron saint's statue," Mosta mayor Edwin Vassallo said. Last year, parish priest Al- bert Buhagiar asked Archbishop Charles Scicluna's permission to formally apply for a minor basilica status. The archbishop immedi- ately agreed to the request and the Vatican had to decide whether the Mosta church should be accorded special privileges. The Santa Marija feast marks the ascent into heaven by the Vir- gin Mary and is celebrated in six different Maltese parishes – Mo- sta, Qrendi, Imqabba, Hal Ghaxaq, Gudja and Attard – and in the Gozitan capital, Victoria. Frans Deguara, Nicolo' Isouard Band Club's vice-president, ex- plained how this year the Mosta band club kicked off the official external activities in the shadow of the Rotunda, the third-largest church dome in Europe and the ninth largest in the world. "In view of enriching the feast, Mosta has two band clubs and two pyrotechnic organisations which along with the central committee and the various commissions and benefactors give a helping hand in the yearly preparations," Deguara said. As part of the yearly festive pro- gramme, one of the cardinal events taking place is the fireworks dis- play throughout the celebrations. To this end, the 15 August Fire- works Factory and the Mosta Fire- works Association will be once more alternating in their pyro- technical and pyromusical display shows. 15 August Fireworks Factory sec- retary Pierre Pizzuto pinpointed the numerous hard-working hours 'behind the scenes' when it comes to fireworks preparations. "The show requires a lengthy manual process of manufactur- ing consisting of several stages of packing and gluing firework pow- der," Pizzuto told MaltaToday. "We should also recall the fact that we do our utmost to maintain the whole thing traditional. None- theless, since the show has to be as continuous as possible, this year, for the first time, we have invested in a computerised system to coor- dinate the complete exhibit." Edmond Saliba, head of the Mo- sta Fireworks Association, ex- plained how the group engages in both aerial fireworks, from the vi- cinities of the Speranza Chapel in the Mosta valley, and ground pyro- technics, arrayed in the town's core square adjacent to the Dome. "The ground-show encompasses orthodox Maltese single shot shells and coloured shells, lights creating some fanciful and distinctive ef- fects, and mechanised ground fire- works displays with pinwheels. The spectacular pyromusical choreogra- phies are the ultimate cherry on the cake," Saliba added. Thousands of locals and tourists, therefore, are expected to watch in awe the eye-catching fireworks, especially those to the tune of con- temporary and classical music. However, another remarkable pretext why the popular feast en- tices hordes of visitors on a yearly basis is the historical context in connection with the festivity. The convoy The feast gained local immortal- ity in the Second World War, when one of the most crucial supply con- voys with food and fuel sailed into the Grand Harbour in Valletta on the day. In August 1942, in what is known as 'Operation Pedestal', a do-or-die attempt was carried out by the vital convoy to plunge through Axis war- ships and submarines in Mediter- ranean waters and deliver supplies and ammunition to the starving is- lands of Malta and Gozo. The convoy had been escorted, but the enemy took a heavy toll, and only five of the convoy vessels man- aged to reach Malta following fierce aerial and marine battles across the route from Gibraltar to Malta. As a matter of fact, the British merchant fleet had plenty of speedy cargo ships, but no large tankers fast enough to keep up with the rest of the 16-knot convoy. Conversely, a large tanker was needed to carry what was arguably the most valuable cargo at the time: fuel, without which the islands were nothing less than sitting ducks for enemy bombers. Nevertheless, the gallant effort of the Texaco tanker S.S. Ohio – a 14,150 tons vessel designed to transport crude oil between the Texas oil fields and East Coast re- fineries – and of the Royal Navy to tow the badly damaged, listing and sinking vessel into the Grand Har- bour that day was one of the epics of the war without which Malta would almost certainly have capitulated from starvation that year. Mosta will be painted in blue as thousands celebrate the Santa Marija feast