Xativa Fallas

Well, it's March again already, and the annual Fallas take place on 19th each year.

On the Wednesday before, Ed and I took a stroll around Xativa, to see the figures before they were burned. It was a very windy day, and some of the smaller parts were blown over, but thankfully none of the main parts. In Valencia, there were quite a few that got broken.

The Fallas were still excellent, although they were not as big as a few years ago. The crisis has hit Spain in many ways, including the celebrations. They may be a little smaller than before, but they have not been abandoned.

We were also lucky enough to time our trip with the Mascletas at 2pm. This is a huge firework display, with the aim being to make as much noise as possible! Ed and I stood next to the wall, along with everybody else and watched as they all went off. The smoke at times was terrible, but was quickly blown away by the strong winds. After the deafening finale, I turned around and noticed that there were only a few people still looking over the wall - everyone else had moved right back!

It seems quite astonishing that all of this work goes into something that is burnt in a few moments, but in Xativa, there are no 'Moors and Christians', this is their annual event, so it is very important.

Certainly, the bands and the organisers were all having a wonderful time.

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