The celebrations for the feast of the Immaculate Conception in Cospicua are being held on the 8th of December, a public holiday in the Maltese Islands.

Maltese feasts are traditionally held during the summer period, understandable due to more favourable weather conditions; however the feast for the Immaculate Conception in Cospicua is an exception.

This is done in remembrance of the 8th of December 1854, when the Immaculate Conception, the belief that the Virgin Mary was not tainted with the original sin, was declared a Christian Dogma by Pope Pius XI.

This year’s weather seems to favour the people of Cospicua. However, it was not always like this. In the past, on several different occasions the outdoor celebrations were cancelled due to bad weather.

Cospicua’s parish priest Joe. Mifsud made an appeal so that the celebrations will be conducted in the respect of human dignity and the law.

In recent years, the rivalry caused by different band clubs, and the consumption of alcohol and drugs, during the celebrations have been the cause of various accidents in the past, some even fatal.