Besides the name for this celebration, the fallas are gigantic sculptures of which the core is made from wood. These enormous and colourful sculptures (approximately 350 statues) are lined up in each neighbourhood of the city and have their own theme varying from the entertainment industry to political parody. Each neighbourhood has their own organization that works all year long to make the construction, the falla, which is eventually burnt on the last night of the festival.
Beside a Falla organisation, each neighbourhood has their own Fallera, a girl dressed in traditional clothing who represents her neighbourhood at all festivities and who takes part in the annual Fallera Mayor election.
Every day during the festival at 2 p.m. precisely La Mascleta, a huge firework, takes place. Thousands of Valencianos, gather at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to watch this spectacle. When the Mascleta starts, you will be deaf for the next five minutes, wondering whether this is how it sounds like when you are on hostile territory during a bombing in a war. Imagine enduring this deafening noise every day during the festival. Although I never could get a good position to watch this firework spectacle I found it impressive if only for the noise and the enthusiasm of all spectators.
People waiting for La Mascleta to start. On the left side of the picture, behind the yellow/black sign, there is where the Mascleta is positioned. Needless to say, I could not see a thing, but only heard a deafening noise...
But Fallas is not only fireworks. Every day there are processions and of course lots of drinking and eating! On the last night of the festival all fallas get burnt.
And then it starts all over again. The Falla organisations gather again to think about the new design and theme of next year's falla and which girl should be representing them next year. If you decide to take a sneak peek at Fallas next year, make sure to be in great shape as this festival will wear you out. It's a week of bonfires, fireworks, processions and craziness. Every day the program is loaded, there are only give and take 350 fallas to see in just one week, Mascleta at 2 p.m. and around midnight again fireworks. In between there are processions, music and oh the neighbouring villages also have there own Fallas, so be prepared! Fallas, a fun, impressive and noisy Valenciano tradition, every year.
A video of the Mascleta that Antonio Caballer (a famous Spanish pyrotechnic) lit up at La Plaza del Ayuntamiento during Fallas 2006.
Note: All pictures were taken during Fallas de Valencia 2006
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