2012-03-31
Las Fallas
Fires blaze and ear-splitting firecrackers ring through the air during Las Fallas, Valencia's huge festival in honour of Saint Joseph. Towering ninots - satirical papier-mâché statues of famous figures - are famously burned to the ground on the final night.
Located throughout the city, the huge, colourful ninots target
politicians, film stars, bullfighters and anyone of local, national or
international notoriety. The sculptures are on display throughout the
entire festival for visitors to admire. When the final night of the
festival arrives, the effigies are stuffed with fireworks and left to
burn as part of a ceremony known as La Crema. Each year, the sculptures are judged and the winner is saved from cremation and placed in a museum.
Burning effigies are not the only speciality during Las Fallas. Another highlight is the daily mascleta,
which takes place in the Plaza Ayuntamiento, a mass of firework
explosions, rockets and firecrackers. Each day sees different
neighbourhood groups competing for the most impressive display, with the
prize going to the loudest. Good standing space is hard to come by,
unless you book yourself into one of the square's hotels months in
advance.
Ambulances wait on standby throughout Las Fallas,
particularly on the final night. Some people faint with the sound of the
firecrackers and pregnant women are forbidden from attending the mascleta. So come if you dare - this event is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
No-one
knows the true origins of Las Fallas, but it seems to be a
pagan/Christian hybrid. Medieval guilds built bonfires in homage to St
Joseph, patron saint of workers, and by the 18th century, fire and
effigies were at the heart of the event, going up in smoke on 19th
March, St Joseph's Day.
When: Mar 2012
Where: Valencia, Spain
From: whatsonwhen.com
last modification: 2011-03-23
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