Las Fallas
Country: Valencia, Spain
When: Annually, 15th – 19th March
History
Las Fallas is a must-see fire fiesta for all pyromaniacs, celebrated in Spain. The name translates to “the Torches”, and the celebration is steeped in a history of the carpentry profession: it is thought that the original falles were created when carpenters burnt scrap wood in celebration of the spring equinox. It is also closely associated with the patron saint of carpentry, Saint Joseph (or San José), and leads up to the 19th March, which is St Joseph’s Day.
Ninots (large anthropomorphic dolls) are produced yearly for the festival, made of paper mache. They are paraded in the streets and then mounted into dioramas, also constructed from paper mache, cardboard and firecrackers, to become a falla. They tower above the crowds, larger than some buildings. Falles usually poke fun at local, national, or even international issues, and in recent times have featured comic representations of political figures and celebrities. Nobody is safe from the tongue-in-cheek satire of the festivities. They have taken on the quality of political cartoons, in three dimensions.
Each falla is laced with fireworks and explosives, and on the final day, La Crema, the falles are ignited, bursting into an explosive light show. Many people bring their own fireworks to celebrate with, once the falles have been lit, and as you can imagine, the city erupts in an all-night party.
Festival Videos
Key Highlights
La Crema (the Burning)
At midnight on the 19th March, St Joseph’s Day, the falles are set alight, in an awe-inspiring climax to the festival.
Food and Drink
To keep your energy up at the festival, don’t look any further than a dish of traditional paella, which originates from Valencia, and a glass of Agua de Valencia, a cocktail consisting of the famous Valencia oranges, vodka, and Spanish champagne.
Mascleta
The pyromania of Las Fallas is not limited to La Crema alone. Each day at 2pm, over 300 mascletes (daytime fireworks) are ignited in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, to produce a cacophony of auditory explosions that will literally blow your mind.
Where is it
Las Fallas is celebrated all throughout the city of Valencia, with the central fallas positioned in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
https://goo.gl/maps/6mWrD8FsV492
How to get there
You can fly into Valencia Airport: connections come from most other major cities in Spain, as well as the UK, Germany, France, Italy and more. Getting to the city centre from the airport is easy, with taxi, bus, or underground train options.
If you’re already in Europe, you might consider taking the train to Valencia’s central station, Estacion del Norte, which is a three-hour trip from Barcelona.
More information on Las Fallas:
http://www.fallasfromvalencia.com/en
http://www.gonomad.com/24-happenings/2791-valencia-spain-las-fallas-one-crazy-festival
