5. On the night of the 24th there is a spectacular fireworks display in
honour of Saint James the Apostle, while a large fireworks castle which
imitates the facade of the cathedral also burns.
*
FEAST OF SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
6. *
SEVILLE APRIL FAIR
A week-long festival of flamenco
dancing, horse shows and bullfighting in
the capital of Andalucía
7. Carnival of Tenerife
The Festival of San Fermin, Las Fallas, the April Fair
and Holy Week in Seville are some of our most popular
festivals internationally, but throughout the year there
are many other celebrations all over Spain.
*
Giants and bigheads
8. *
But there is one celebration that combines tradition, colour, music, lights...
9. Las Fallas takes
place in
Valencia, which sits
on the east coast of
Spain
*
Las Fallas is a festival held from 15 to 19 March in commemoration
of St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.
Monumental, yet transitory
cardboard statues are carefully
built over the course of
months, to then be devoured by
fire in a unique spectacle
10. *
Crews of artists and
artisans, sculptors, p
ainters, and many
others all spend
months producing
elaborate
constructions of
paper and wax, wood
and styrofoam.
NINOTS The ninots (puppets or
dolls) are caricatures and
satirical representations
that criticise
politicians, celebrities
and the most relevant
events in the news, with
a great sense of humour.
12. *
These are groups in charge
of organising and setting up
the Fallas Fiesta.
They take their names from
the intersection of streets
or squares where they set
up their Fallas monument.
There are more than 400 Fallas Committees in the city of Valencia
FALLAS COMMITTEES
13. *
During the four days
leading up to 19
March, each group
takes its ninot out
for a grand
parade, and then
mounts it, each on
its own
elaborate monument
in a street of the
given neighbourhood.
This whole assembly
is a falla.
FALLAS COMMITTEES
14. *
It is the moment when the Falla’s
top part is finally put in place
The positioning of these pieces may
take several days
Now the Falla is completely finished and ready to
be visited, with all its “ninots”, posters and
various details
This takes place on the night of March 15th
LA PLANTÀ
15. *
STREETLIGHT DISPLAY
Every corner of Valencia is decorated with a multicoloured display of hundreds
of garlands of lights, in a multitude of shapes, colours and bold designs.
17. *
These are the queens of
the fiesta, the official
representatives of the
Fallas organisation.
“FALLERAS MAYORES”
18. *
Nowadays, the figure of the “Falleras Mayores de
Valencia” has reached a considerable level of
importance in the city’s life and they frequently
appear at the most significant events that take place
in the city throughout the year.
19. *
It is the floral offering to St.
Mary, Virgin of the Defenseless
THE OFRENDA
20. *
On March 17th and 18th hundreds of participants, dressed in regional
attire, file from their falla to the Basilica of the Virgin with bands of
musicians to offer flowers
THE OFRENDA
21. *
Although the most important acts are held
during the week of the 19th, Valencia is
busy preparing the festive atmosphere
from 1 March with the mascletás, noisy
firework displays that take place every
day at 2 AM in Town Hall Square
MASCLETÀS
23. *
This pyrotechnical festival (“night of
fire”) takes place on the night
between the 18th and the 19th March
and acts as a preamble to the main day
of the Fallas.
NIT DEL FOC
25. *
LA CREMÀ
It marks the finish of the
Fallas Festival
The splendid
monuments, which a few
hours before stood proudly
in the streets and
squares, are reduced to
ashes amidst the clamour
of hundreds of people.
In the early hours
between the 19th and
20th of
March, enormous pyres
burn around the whole
city.
28. *
Not all the puppets get burned.
There is a public vote to decide
on the very best puppets for this
year. These are taken to the
Museo Fallero, Valencia's Fallas
museum.
LA CREMÀ
INDULTAT
NINOT INDULTAT
(The pardoned puppet)
29. *
THE FIRE PARADE
On the final evening of Fallas, at 7pm
on March 19, a parade takes place
along the streets of Valencia.
This spectacular celebration of
fire, the symbol of the fiesta’s
spirit, is the grand finale of Fallas.
33. *
The origin of the celebration dates back to
the ancient tradition of the carpenters of
the city, who on the eve of their Patron
Saint, Saint Joseph, burnt unusable waste
in front of their workshops along with the
wooden lamps they used in the winter.
HISTORY
At first they would make them look like human forms by decorating
them with old clothes and fabric. In the mid-19th
century, however, they began to increase in size and height and to
improve their forms, becoming huge decorative statues.
34. *
More than 77
statues in the city’s
streets and squares
The statues can
reach up to 20 metres
in height
More than 2 million
visitors to the city
FACTS AND FIGURES
