Fallera Mayor of Valencia de 2008
The revered figure of the Fallas Queen acquires more importance than the President of the Fallas Commission himself. She is chosen from among the young ladies belonging to the Commission.
She will have her own Court of Honour comprising a selection of graceful young ladies. All this is arranged long before the actual festivity in what is known as the “exaltation”, or the election of the Adult and Child Queens and their Courts.
In the 1940s, the Fallas Queen of Valencia was a young lady from the aristocracy or the upper middle class, but when the first democratic city council was formed, this opportunity was given to any young lady who was willing to compete for the position. Each Fallas Commission nominates a young lady for Queen, plus a child of their choice as the Children’s Fallas Queen.
They undergo a careful election process in which physical beauty, grace, poise, culture and traditional costumes come under close consideration.
Exaltación falleras of Agrupación de Russafa
Fallera Mayor de Valencia
Exaltación Fallera Mayor of Valencia 2009
Fallera Mayor is the Queen of the Falla for a year. Each falla-community has one, but overall one is chosen to be the Fallera Mayor of the entire Valencia. She is the face of the festival, the representative of the Fallas and she will make many ritual visits to Valencian organisaions, as well as presiding on all major events.
There is also Fallera Mayor Infanil – the Queen for children.
The title of Fallera Mayor is an extremely prestigious thing in Valencia and the competition is fierce. It costs a lot of money too – just the dress will run into many thousands of euros.
You are not likely to meet the Fallera Mayor of the festival (although you will see her from afar presiding over carnivals, events, ceremonies, etc), but you will see many Fallera Mayores of their fallas, heading the parade of the falla in their neighbourhoods. While all of the falleras usually wear the typical Valencian dress, Fallera Mayor can be distinguished by the wide band across her torso, in the colours of the Valencian flag.
Exaltación Fallera Mayor of Valencia 2009
