I’m cheating. I took this photo two weeks ago at the Feast of Saint Lawrence. Nearly every week a different feast is celebrated on the islands during the summer, each inviting a visiting marching band to join local musicians in a parade around the local square. The church is strung with lights and the town is alive with chants and cheers for their patron saint.I could easily have taken a similar picture today when I visited the feast of Our Lady of Loreto in a town called Gajnseliem, but I happened to like this photo in particular and wanted to fit it in someplace. This is not to suggest that a feast is a feast is a feast. If I were to utter that thought I would be shipped off of the island on the next available sinking raft. While each celebration follows a similar ritual, different towns add a characteristic twist to their particular feast.
Gajnseliem’s feast is known for its glitzy fireworks display, which left me with a kink in my neck from looking at the sky this evening. Perhaps a more suitable photo for this feast might have captured the colourful explosions. But I couldn’t take my eye off of the incredible show. I guess I’ll have to keep that picture tucked away in the memory bank.
