Petards are out this summer, but explosives storage poses no danger

The church’s decision to cancel ‘external’ parish feasts due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a major dampener for the summer calendar in Malta (or a welcome development for those who despise the hellish noise of petards).

But one fireworks licensee who spoke to MaltaToday said that fireworks stored for a long period of time in warehouses will not pose any danger while they lie unused.

Processions and other public manifestations of religious celebration 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 pilgrimage with the statue of the village saint.

But the process of manufacturing fireworks for a full feast week starts months in advance, and this leaves band clubs and fireworks factories with a logistical and financial headache.

A fireworks manufacturing licensee, who wished to remain unnamed, said that the chance of fireworks self-igniting due to heat is quite low, with such explosive material usually requiring temperatures of over 1000°C to catch fire.

“As long as fireworks factories 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 metal salts. Metal salts commonly used in firework displays include strontium carbonate (red fireworks), calcium chloride (orange fireworks), sodium nitrate (yellow fireworks), barium chloride (green fireworks) and copper chloride (blue fireworks). Among the different characteristics 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 quality 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 enthusiast 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 celebrations… if the situation returns to normal, it will take a couple of years before the feasts return to their formal glory, as the return of tourists will not be as imminent as some might think.

“Tourists prove to be an excellent source of funding during these times, and while we’re sure they will return, it will take a couple of years for feasts to return to their former glory,” he said.

Agreeing with the Curia’s decision 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 Malta 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 hundreds of explosions of crackers firing in rapid succession. There are some 35 fireworks factories around Malta and Gozo.