Celebratory practices that shatter our peace

Jordan is one of the safest countries in the region, and we pray that it remains so, but some practices shatter our calm and peacefulness even though they are committed in a celebratory manner.

We are talking here about festive fire and using firecrackers, which often shatter the peacefulness of the night, disturb children and the sick, and even cause fatalities.

While officially these practices are banned, lax enforcement by authorities allows them to be performed all over the Kingdom.

It is shocking that little children can purchase firecrackers intended for adult and professional use from shops and in the street without any government supervision.

The Jordan Customs Department told The Jordan Times that the country will ban the entry of firecrackers, except for small ones, by the end of July, which means that they were entering the Kingdom legally despite earlier announcements by the government that measures were in place to control their import and sale.

The department “assured” that the use of firecrackers this summer was lower than in previous years, but they can still be heard, in Amman and other towns, in the late hours of night, disturbing the peace and scaring young ones.

This means that more efforts are still needed to control their entry and sales in the country.

Besides the firecrackers, stepped-up campaigns must be carried out to stop festive firing which has, unfortunately, become a cultural issue even though illegal.

The fact that it is practised at weddings, national celebrations, graduations and other occasions, means that law enforcement officers’ efforts to check this uncivilised phenomenon that kills and injures scores every year are failing.

There is need for all social and political forces to come together to stem this phenomenon by amending legislation, supporting law enforcement efforts and raising more awareness against such harmful practices.

And since we are at it, another, related, phenomenon that should be fought is that of wedding processions blocking traffic, compounding an already terrible problem.

Celebrating citizens need to remember that they have no right to block traffic, and that roads should be kept open for all, including ambulances, police and fire trucks in emergency cases.