I feel really guilty about not going to the Fallas this year, especially since I live in the community of Valencia. But at the time that I booked my Paris trip I wasn’t aware that the grand event of the Fallas was going to be on the same weekend.
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| The President Of Mexico fallasvalencia.es |
Even though I didn’t go to the Fallas, I still feel obligated to talk about it because this is the biggest and most popular festival in Valencia and it’s definitely what the Valencia region is known for (besides the paella). In addition, it’s one of the most well-known festivals in all of Spain.
The Fallas (or Les Falles in valenciano) is a festival held every year in Valencia in commemoration of Saint Joseph, the husband of the Virgin Mary. In Valencian, the word “falles” means “fire” and the Fallas is a festival in which the whole town is literally set on fire.
In preparation for the Fallas, many organizations create ninots (puppets), which are huge statues made of paper-machè, cardboard, wood and wax. The ninots are extremely like-life, colorful and they often depict (and satirize) political figures and current events. The ninots require much craft and skill and they are extremely expensive to make. They normally take almost an entire year to construct.
Starting from the beginning of March, the ninots are placed throughout the center of the city and people vote on the best ninots. Every day before March 19th at exactly 2:00pm, there is a mascletá in the Plaza Ayuntamiento of the city. This is when loud, timed-firecrackers are ignited and cause commotion in the city. There are also many bullfights, parades, paella contests and pageants around the city during this time.
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| Ninots of Several Presidents of Latin America (and America) depicted as Snow White Characters fallasvalencia.es |
March 19th is the known as La Cremá (the burning); it is the last day of the Fallas. Early this day, men make carefully crafted holes in the ninots and stuff them with fireworks. At night, the streets are full of people, the streetlights are turned off, and almost all of the ninots are set on fire at night. Only one ninot of the entire collection is saved from burning, it is called the ninot indultat (the pardoned puppet). This is the ninot that received the most votes from the people, and at the end of the Fallas celebration it is placed inside the Museum of the Ninot, where it is exhibited, along with the other ninots indultats from previous years.
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| La Cremá (the burning) www.valencia-cityguide.com |
Although the Fallas sounds so interesting, lively and artsy, I can’t help but to think about how dangerous it also sounds. The idea that you will be surrounded by lots of people, fireworks and flames sounds a little scary and unsafe, but then a lot of things that I’ve encountered in Spain also seem to be this way. I’m sure that it was a blast to those that attended!
I’m sad that I missed the Fallas this year (even though I still don’t regret my trip to Paris) but I’m certain that this won’t be my last trip to Spain and I am excited about attending the Fallas in the future; especially since I know so much more about it now. I am also very excited about another big Spanish festival very similar to the Fallas that occurs in Alicante every year, Las Hogueras de San Juan (the bonfires of St. John), and I am hoping that I will be around at the end of June when this takes place.
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