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Published: March 21st 2012
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This is a Falla!
Not just your average bonfire. It's not quite as easy to tell here, but we decided this one was modelled on Charlize Theron These people are crazy! How they haven't burnt their city down yet, I've no idea. Las Fallas is basically a festival all about fire and fireworks. For all the details, check out:
http://www.fallasfromvalencia.com/en The festival runs from 15th to 19th March. The Fallas are the basis of the whole festival. They're basically models/floats without wheels constructed into various designs which are burned on the final night. The large one's can be up to five stories high and take around a year to build.
Burning the fallas is a tradition attributed to burning certain things that were used during the winter and are no longer required now winter is over. The fallas and the rest of the festival has become more and more elaborate and more and more extreme as the years have gone by. It seemed to me like something some guys might have started, burning things (always fun) then decided to do it every year (of course it has to be bigger than the one from the previous year). When they'd made bonfires as big and elaborate as they could, they just said "what other stupid things can we do with fire"?
So the fallas is where
Just for fun
Getting a little nose scratch from one of the ninots (side ornaments and figures which decorate the area immediately surrounding the fallas) it started, but don't underestimate the rest of the festival by a long shot. There's the nightly fireworks which go for longer than any fireworks I've seen before I think. The Mascletà. This is fireworks done during the day. This may seem to the unexperienced as a waste of time. But I assure you, it is phenomenal. I had the fortune of being about 30m from the barricades for the final Mascletà (it's done at a big crossroads in front of the Town Hall and 30m from the front is VERY close. The crowd stretches back hundreds of metres in every direction). The Mascletà fills the whole crossroads and surrounding area with smoke and the noise from the fireworks is like listening to one big drumming band. It produced some of the most earth-shaking, bone rattling explosions and concluded with a rumble like the most awesome thunder you've ever heard that only seemed to get more awesome and continued seemingly forever.
Las Fallas also has parades, including the more subdued L'Ofrena floral (quite a recent addition as it turns out despite what the outfits might lead you to believe), one of the few aspects of Las Fallas that doesn't
The governments addition
This falla is placed beside where the daily Mascletà takes place in front of the Town Hall include fire. This actually involves a procession of women with flowers. These flowers are used to construct a dress for a giant model of the virgin Mary.
Also included is the Cavalcade of Fire which sees a host of "demons" parade the streets of Valencia along with a bunch of other fire and fireworks wielding participants.
And the entire festival is accompanied by the constant background noise of fireworks large and small being set off by the public at random. I was relieved to find when I got to the hostel in Valencia after Las Fallas that I was not the only person thinking that a gun could go off in the middle of it all and no-one would be any the wiser. After your first day, you don't even flinch. Even if one goes off just a few metres away.
Overall had a great time. No, awesome time. Scrap that. Well awesome isn't an awesome enough word for what happened. Got to catch up with Juan and Anna again which was a pleasure. Had a genuine paella. Learnt one or two more things in Spanish (almost literally. I am in the slow learners group it seems
when it comes to languages) and got to start on a book called "The Ghosts of Spain". Hopefully I'll find another copy of that at some point and finish it off. Oh, and had Juan's mum say "Hasta la vista" to me in all seriousness and without a trace of an Arnie voice.
And got a little introduction to Spanish music culture by way of a little dance made famous by Cristiano Ronaldo (it's the biggest thing in Spain apparently) and a song about Nini's (nor's. ie. Not study nor work. Just PARTY!!!). AND, got to party in the train as some kids who'd obviously been out playing in the streets of Valencia were also catching the train and let loose on their drums, brass and woodwind including of course Ronaldo's little number.
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Daniel Garner
non-member comment
Hey Beanz!
hey Beanie hope ur havin fun burning stuff in Spain. don't know if u have a Youtube acount but some guys at school (including me) made this channel. if u have Utube plz subscribe. Cheers and have fun! Lt. Dan