Las Fallas Valencia
The Las Fallas Festival is probably the greatest festival in Spain , which is some claim given the tradition of festival that exists in most cities , towns and villages across the nation. It is probably the most Spanish thing you can do along with Flamenco dancing and bull fighting,
We visited the festival in 2018 and the memories will always remain , so dramatic was the experience, that the memory does not sit in the furthest recess of my mind , but it is periodically recalled like a tidal wave of emotion washing over the senses.
The story starts for us in a small cafe, in a small village in a quiet corner of Spain , in Catral in fact, south west of Alicante. We had just watched a local festival and were talking about it with enthusiasm when the waiter, with impeccable manners politely interrupted us , ‘Senor you must visit the Las Fallas in Valencia, you can go by train.
So we did some research - just what is this Las Fallas we asked ourselves - here is the detail
The origin of Las Fallas comes from an old carpenter’s tradition who, when celebrating the arrival of spring on the 19th March, used to burn pieces of wood that were used to prop up their lights during the winter.
To this bonfire they gradually started to add old belongings and rags, which gave the wooden structure a human-looking aspect, until they became the ninots (models) that we know today.
The Fallas celebrations have evolved into temporary works of art which, in some cases, cost millions of euros.
The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, when the Mascletà, a spectacle of firecracker detonation and fireworks display, takes place. The term Fallas refers to both the celebration and the monuments burnt during the celebration.
Each neighbourhood of the city has an organised group of people, the Casal faller, that works all year, holding fundraising parties and dinners, usually featuring paella, Each casal faller produces a model which is eventually burned. These are some examples of the models.
So we got a train ! . We are used to the Spanish trains , they are clean fast reliable and not over crowded. We used them to travel to Madrid, Murcia and Alicante, all from the tiny rural railway station at Catral. The first leg is quiet as you would expect, we changed in Alicante , still reasonably quiet, but as the fast train approaches the City of Valencia it got busy , noisy with excitement and you could feel the atmosphere building before we get off the train.
To step off the train in Valencia as the crowds are preparing for the Mascletà at lunch time is to be hit with a wave of colour and a cacophony of sound, which is a little disorientating for a few seconds until you catch your rhythm and your breath and then you are off.
To this day , the percussion sound of the the Mascletà remains the loudest noise I have ever heard, louder than an AC/DC concert , than a Vulcan bomber or anything I have heard the military produce. The shock waves could be felt through the ground and in the walls of the buildings. Below is a short video of the Fallas and the Mascletà .
Ear drums ringing and filled with a level of adrenaline rarely experienced outside of serious sporting events or conflict, we set off to see the next element of the festival .
All the Fallas commissions of Valencia parade through the city from their neighbourhood to the Plaza de la Virgin for a flower offering to the Virgin de los Desamparados, patron saint of Valencia. The act takes place from 4pm until into the night, with bunches of flowers that become part of an impressive 15-metre high structure representing the Virgin’s cape.
On the last night of the festival which lasts for 19 days in total , in line with tradition, models are burnt, fireworks are released , much wine and drink are consumed and then the next morning they clean up and start planning for next year. We love Spain.
