Fallas

This weekend sees the culmination of Fallas. People throughout Valencia, Spain, have been preparing for weeks, even months. Fallas is the festival in Valencia. It commemorates the day of Saint Joseph, the city’s patron saint.

In 2013, I was fortunate enough to experience Fallas firsthand. As a foreigner, there were a few different elements that stuck out to me. The most prominent are the statues. Called falla, these statues are designed and built by neighborhood clubs. In the weeks leading up to the festival, we watched as the falla were slowly built in the city streets.

The falla

People spend weeks building the falla, often including some satire or political humor.

Another impressive display is the mascleta. For almost 3 weeks, there’s a daily pyrotechnics show in the city center. I’ve heard it described as fireworks, but that’s not at all what it’s like. Though there are some different colors and a good amount of smoke, the experience is much different. The sound is so loud that you can feel the booming pressure in your chest as the mascleta is set off.

The ofrenda was one of the most moving things I’ve ever experienced. Dressed in traditional clothing, people from all throughout the region carry flowers to the city center. Imagine crowds of people streaming from all different places, all dressed in traditional clothing, music floating from all around, heading towards a frame dozens of feet tall, shaping the Virgin Mary. The flowers are then filled into the empty frame, creating a statue of Mary. The process is breathtaking, leaving a beautiful work of art in the city center.

The ofrenda places flowers into a large frame of the Virgin Mary.

La Crema happens on the very last night of Fallas. After all the falla have been judged, only the winner is kept. All the others are loaded up with fireworks. One by one, the falla are ignited, launching out fireworks. Bonfires reaching 30, even 40 feet in the air sprout up across the region until all the fallas are burned to ash.

La Crema

After shooting fireworks out from the falla, people crowd around to watch the bonfire.

Local residents will advise you to leave the city during Fallas. They don’t like the crowds or the noise. I, on the other hand, would return in a heartbeat. The crowds, the noise, the flowers and bonfires, all made the experience that much richer.