Ben's Worldwide Adventures, Things, and Stuff: Las Fallas

Check out all of my Las Fallas photos here.

March 15-19 marked Las Fallas in Valencia, which is one of Spain's most famous celebrations. Private clubs in the city work throughout the year to create incredible cardboard and paper mache statues representing society's ills, which are then burned to the ground. I had heard a lot about it, and so I was very interested in seeing it. It turned out to be an awesome and unforgettable experience, and one that I'm 100% positive could never be held in the USA.

Billie came to see Las Fallas as well, and we were invited by some of my co-workers to join a school field trip on the first day of Las Fallas (which runs Tuesday - Saturday). We were met in Valencia by another teacher, Ismael, who is from Valencia and therefore knew a lot about the history and culture behind Las Fallas. He also knew someone at a radio station, so we were given a tour of the studio, which was interesting I guess. Then we were able to walk around for a bit and take in the Fallas. Spread out through the city's plazas, the Fallas generally stood about 30 feet tall or so, although some were a bit taller or shorter.

this Falla represented the good and bad of the internet

Additionally, there were Infantil Fallas (children's fallas) which were on a smaller scale and had less suggestive themes. The weather on that Tuesday was a bit rainy and grey, but we still had a fun time exploring and seeing the city dressed up.

a falla flies through the rain

Then we met back up with the big group, and the students were given free time to eat and explore the city, with the advice to come back and see the "Mascleta" at 2:00. The Mascleta is basically a basketball court filled with small bombs and fireworks -- the goal is not beautiful explosions of light in the night sky, but rather a more visceral, physical experience. The teachers and us went to a Basque bar for lunch, choosing small sandwiches stuck together with toothpicks, and paying by counting up the toothpicks at the end. Luckily the Spanish tradition of having the school's pay for the teachers' (and in this case, the language assistant and his girlfriend) food, so we were able to eat for free. Then it was time to watch the Mascleta, which involved convincing some of the less-enthusiastic teachers to get closer and closer to the explosives themselves, in order to make the most of the experience. Finally it was 2:00, and the show began. Clouds of smoke rose as the first firecrackers went off, and about 10 minutes later, the heaviest explosives began to ignite, which was so loud that I could feel my ribs shaking and bumping into each other (note: I am not a doctor so I don't know if this is actually anatomically possible) The earth itself seemed to shake, and both Billie and I were very impressed.

The next day, after work, we returned to see more of the Fallas, and also watch the parade of the Falleras. Old Valencian families dress up in traditional clothes and parade through the streets with flowers, making their way to the Plaza del Virgen, which is where they drop off the flowers to be used to decorate a giant wooden statue of the Virgin. It was cool to see them parading, with little bands providing the sound, and it seemed to be a very emotional experience, as many of them were sobbing just a few steps after handing off the flowers (of course, in typical Spanish style, for every crying woman there were five either smoking, drinking, or gesturing wildly. Or all three. Or all four, I guess.)

the parade of Falleros

The virgin of flowers. The men toss the flowers up to each other; you can see a white bouquet in flight on the top left part of the virgin.

That night was the Nit de Foc -- Night of Fire, in Valencian. For a culture that loves to take every opportunity to use fireworks and flames, an occasion specifically called the Night of Fire promised to be special. We milled around for a while, unsuccessfully trying to find my friend Cody, but we found some chocolate y churros and then a place to sit to see the fireworks. They were pretty amazing -- some of the best I've seen. They had some incredible fireworks that would shoot up into the air and then explode as they began to fall back towards earth, but every so often they'd rise back up higher into the air, only to soon continue their descent. I can't even imagine how those worked. The finalé was amazing, also -- it was like a strobe show was happening during an earthquake, with the combinations of colors, lights, sounds, and explosive vibrations. It was quite a treat. We fought through the not-insignificant crowds and made the train back to Castellon, even finding seats.

Eventually came Saturday, the night of the Crema -- the burning. We packed some sandwiches and wine and hit the train. Soon enough we were in Valencia, where we were this time successful in meeting up with my friend Cody. We hung out for a while, walked around the city, and then made our way to one of the smaller Fallas to see the burning. It didn't disappoint -- the Falla is wrapped in explosives, which are then lit by an honoree. The falla burned pretty quickly, and it was all over in a matter of 10 minutes or so. It's crazy to think that such beautiful, interesting creations are burned to the ground happily, and it's also crazy to think that only a few days later, work will begin on the next year's fallas.