La Fallas

This is the most famous festival in the area, drawing people from all over the world. The festival takes place over about 2 weeks, (with 4 days of intense festivities) always ending on 19^th March, with the burning of the Fallas. There are many events, from parades, pagents, offering of flowers and the Mascletá (separate post). The Fallas symbolise the carpenters celebrating the coming of spring, by emerging from their dark workshops, and being able to put out their lamps. When they emerge, they bring out their old unwanted wood, ready for the new work. They also got rid of any rags and set fire to them all.

Now of course, splendid sculptures are made out of papier mache on a wooden frame. There are built by various neighbourhoods, over a 12 month period, and only the best one is saved. All of the others are burned. The best one’s actually go into a Fallas museum. The fires all take place on 19^th March, with the little one’s being burnt in the evening (niños) and then the bigger ones at midnight. Some of the constructions are huge, up to 30ft high, and right in the middle of the streets and squares, in among the houses. This year, it was very windy last week, and as some of them were being put together (the come in sections and are completed on site) the wind took some of the sections and smashed them. The artists were crying, as they desperately tried to piece them back together. 12 months work, damaged in a moment.

In Xativa, is a smaller version of the Fallas which we looked at today. The sculptures will all be burned on 19^th too, but the attention to detail is just as meticulous as the main Fallas.

Also, bizarrely, for these 2 weeks, it is permissible for small children to throw fireworks. The rest of the year, it is against the law! We saw tiny children, who could barely throw, with the little paper bombs of crystals that you can buy in joke shops. Even at the age of 2 or 3, they knew to stamp on them, if they didn’t pop. One boy, aged about 10 or 11 put his cracker in a glass bottle, which exploded. Not very clever – but I’m certain Tim would have done the same. No-one told him off. His granddad just told him to do it further away from the people drinking their coffees.

I’m certainly looking forward to next Wednesday, whether we manage to get to Valencia, or simply watch it all in Xativa.