La Fallas – Xativa Style La Gran Crema

We spent the evening in Xativa strolling around, having coffee, and looking at the Fallas, trying to figure out which one was going to burn next. We would hear the roar of fireworks, but by the time we had figured out where the noise was coming from, we had missed the action.

We met up with some other people, but they didn’t know what was happening next either. Next year, we will have to go to the tourist information office they day before, to find out the order in which they are being burned!

We did work out which one was being lit last, which was the ‘best’ one. This was due to be lit at 2am. In the end, six of us sat at a café opposite the town hall, fireworks being lit all around the town, both by tiny children and organised pyrotechnicians. It was very noisy. In time, the large fallas next to the town hall was getting ready to be lit. We were in a prime position, sitting at a table, glasses full, a few yards from the action. Excellent.

Then, unexpectedly, the grand firework display of the evening took place directly over our heads. This was on a par with the firework displays at Alton Towers. Huge cascades of stars, rockets, screamers, bangers. Everything went up, and we had a grand view of it all. Perfect. The only scary bit, was when one of the firework carcasses, still alight, fell down and landed on a table just 2 rows away from us. One set of fireworks even exploded with lovely shapes in the sky, a heart, a diamond and something else. (Maybe a bull, but I couldn’t work it out!) Everyone cheered at the end, and then we stayed put to watch the falla near us get burnt.

Now it was 2am, time for the Gran Crème. The great cremation, or grand burning. The street leading to the biggest falla was packed. Then we realised that actually, there were spaces in the crowds and it was possible to get to the front. We duly wriggled through, and ended up just one row away from the firemen. One of our group made an observation – the average age of the people at the front was 17, and the average age at the back was 68. We were possibly in the wrong place!! However, we stayed and watched as the streetlights went out, the fireworks were lit, explosions emanated from everywhere within the falla and the whole thing caught light. Fireworks continued to erupt, and the firemen doused the highest flames, to stop them lighting the buildings just a few feet away. At that point, we realised that we were being covered with debris from the falling fireworks and ashes. I had patches of grey soot on my face as well as my clothes.

Health & Safety? Heck, why spoil anyone’s fun? In fact I only saw 2 policement during the entire evening.