alicantado: LAS FALLAS

Our group went to Valencia this thursday and i returend on friday for the fiesta of las fallas. it is one of the biggest festivals in spain, and the number of people in the city triples as spaniards and foreigners pour in to watch. the word 'falla' refers to the elaborate structures that each neighborhood of the city builds all year long and then burns on the 19th of march, el dia de san jose. the tradition started when the carpenters, whose patron saint is san jose, would burn the structures they had used in the winter to hold the candles that illuminated their workshops during the long nights. they would burn the wooden candle holders in the street to welcome spring and symbolize new beginnings. it is said that one day one of the carpenters decided to dress up his 'falla' as someone recognizable, and form there everything escalated. today, fallas can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for the biggest ones; the neighborhood organizations collect money every month from those who want to participate. a whole industry is built around the artisans who labor all year building the elaborate structures out of papier maiche and cardboard. the subject matter is usually cynical and always critical of whatever the builder disliked in the past year, including politics, sports, or other facets of modern life. in burning the fallas, they seek a kind of purification. each fallas has signs written in valencian (the regional language) that describe the content of the structures in rhyme. each year, one of the figures or 'ninots' from the winning falla is spared from the flames and saved in the museum
in addition to the fallas themselves, each neighborhood elects women to be the falleras of their organization. the have many processions of men, women, children, and bands decked out in their traditional regional outfits. these women are also the ones who actually light the fires at midnight.

bunuelos de calabaza are typical of the festival and sold in stalls outside. they are basically fried dough with squash, covered in sugar, but delicious. this stall was our favorite, they also sold hot chocolate and dried figs covered in the same batter and fried.

one of the 'falleras infantiles'; to me they look just like the girl from velazquez's las menina

more falleras in a parade

the sea of people awaiting the mascleta. it is a fireworks display but with emphasis on the sound of the explosions rather than the colors of the rockets; they are judged by how good the rhythm is and how loud they are. every day for the past few weeks they have a mascleta in front of city hall sponsored by a different team. it is so loud that you are told to open your mouth and never plug your ears, because if you do the pressure can build up and pop your eardrums. you can feel the noise as paper fragments from the rockets rain down on the audience. the streets are PACKED, at 115, and you cannot move. the most people i've seen in one place at one time. I was lucky enough to go to two.

and the resulting smoke from tons of gunpowder

this falla dealt with the crisis in the conomy, showing a piggy bank hooked up ton an IV of euros, a mother struggling with shopping, and a father trying to pay the bills

this 'ninot' was from a falla that was about energy conservation and protecting the environment, and the sign says something about the importance of shopping with reusable bags although one frequently forgets to bring them

This is one of the biggest fallas, in the plaza of the city hall where the mascletas take place. it shows a traditional fallero family dressed in the outfits, the boy dunking his churros in chocolate as his mom fries up some more bunuelos. the valencians are obsessed with fireworks, as you can see from the hysterical-looking father. the whole day, everyone from tiny children to adults is lighting fireworks and throwing them in the streets. you never no when something will blow up near your feet so you have to be aware. some are really gigantic and dangerous, but the parents think nothing of letting their kids throw them near a crowd of people. after a few hours, though, only the loudest 'petardos' actually startle you.