All fiestas in Spain are great however, the one that is about to begin, gives the rest of them a great run for their money. Las Fallas de Valencia is a colourful explosion, filled with flowers, fire, satire and tradition, which can only be described as… spectacular!
Las Fallas are celebrated in Valencia during the month of March. They officially begin on 15th March until the 19th but festivities start happening at the end of February. In 2016 they were even declared as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event.
The festivities begin with ‘Las Mascletás, an exhibition of fireworks and pyrotechnics which take place everyday, between the 1st and 19th of March at 2pm at the Plaza Del Ayuntamiento ( Town hall square). The main part of Las Fallas are the enormous wooden statues (ninots). They are built throughout the year and represent different people or characters, usually satirical. They are sculpted to perfection with unimaginable detail. Each neighbourhood has a statue and they sit in the main squares of each area. They have to be done and ready for the 15th of March, when the judges will go around the city ranking them.
On the 17th and 18th they celebrate ‘La Ofrenda de las Flores’ , a beautiful couple of days, where a wooden frame is placed in the main square representing La Virgen de los Desamparados. The falleras, girls dressed in typical big silk dresses and distinct hairstyles, carry the flowers through the streets and then the falleros place them on La Virgen, creating a huge cloak the size of the buildings surrounding it.
On the evening of the 18th there is a firework act marking the penultimate night of Las Fallas. Finally, on 19th March, which marks the day of San José, parades go through the city, with music, fire and different floats, leading up to ‘La Cremá’, the night where they burn all the wooden statues down- all except two, the ones who are the highest rated by the judges.
This tradition is arguably the most popular one in Spain, attracting over a million tourists a year from in and out of Spain. It is believed Las Fallas started when carpenters of the 17th century had left over wood before Spring, so they would create objects and burn them. It wasn’t until the 19th and 20th century that they began adopting a more satirical stance.
As well as all the flowers, fire and outfits, this Spanish festivity is full of food, laughter and tradition. Have you ever been to Las Fallas? If you haven’t I’m sure this has convinced you. Watch our latest programme for more!
