Las Fallas (fi-yas) is a fun, exciting, crazy festival in Valencia that's celebrated all day and all night from March 15 to 19, and then the whole town is literally set ablaze. Las Fallas means "the fires" and the fiesta is all about fire, smoke, and happy noise. It's a traditional week-long street party that takes place everywhere in the city. Millions of people flock to Valencia to join in the festivities.
In preparation for the event, beginning March 1, there's a daily mascleta (gunpowder explosions) in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (city hall) that booms and vibrates throughout the city. The streets are decorated with lights and there are spectacular light and music shows.
Fallas refers to both the celebration and the sculptures burned during the celebration. Beautiful, massive sculptures are built over the course of a year, viewed by the public for four days, judged in a competition, then set on fire and burned to the ground. It's difficult to understand why such magnificent art is burned, but it's part of the culture of Valencia. The burning is a symbolic rite of cleansing away the bad things of the old year and starting the new year fresh and clean.
In preparation for the event, beginning March 1, there's a daily mascleta (gunpowder explosions) in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (city hall) that booms and vibrates throughout the city. The streets are decorated with lights and there are spectacular light and music shows.
Fallas refers to both the celebration and the sculptures burned during the celebration. Beautiful, massive sculptures are built over the course of a year, viewed by the public for four days, judged in a competition, then set on fire and burned to the ground. It's difficult to understand why such magnificent art is burned, but it's part of the culture of Valencia. The burning is a symbolic rite of cleansing away the bad things of the old year and starting the new year fresh and clean.
The fallas are highly sophisticated works of art created by professional artistas falleros. They are constructed of wood, cardboard, papier-mache, and polystyrene, which is skillfully shaped, then carefully sanded and painted. Many of the fallas are so large they need to be erected using cranes and are never seen in their entirety until they are assembled on the first day of Las Fallas. This unique art form exists only in Valencia.
Each falla is made up of larger figures that are surrounded by many small figures called ninots. There are enormous main fallas that stand several stories high, and an equal number of much smaller children's fallas. These sculptures are created around themes that tend to be satirical, poking fun at politicians and world leaders.
Even this small falla towers over pedestrians.
Detail of one of my favorite fallas. This one has so much energy and creativity!
It's difficult for me to imagine how this intricately carved face was sculpted from cardboard and paper.
This is just the top quarter of a very large falla. Each of the figures is a ninot.
Detail of another one of my favorite fallas. Such a beautiful mermaid!
This unique falla was assembled at the Ayuntamiento (city hall). When it was burned the 2018 Las Fallas officially ended.
Just your everyday four-story bonfire. This was the burning of a large falla at the end of the street where my friends Fletch and Katherine live. The bomberos (firemen) kept the fire under control at the base, but the spark showers were so large I don't know how they keep them from burning the city down. You can see the massive, excited crowd that gathered to watch the event.
I loved Las Fallas! It was exciting and fascinating and crazy and I can't wait to enjoy it again next year! Come and join me!
Read more about the history of Las Fallas here:
http://www.folklore.ee/~liisa/too/RY2015/articles/RY2015_14_Wilk.pdf
