Sueca lamps
Although at the beginning of March one can see pieces of monumental figurines wrapped in transparent plastic being transported around the city,many streets are adorned with lights and garlands, and fireworks displays are staged at midday in various parts of the city, Fallas Week per se officially runs from 12th to 19th March. The week’sprogramme includes the “Parade of the Ninot”, with its carnival-like atmosphere; the folklorish “Parade of the Kingdom”, with groups of serenaders and dancing troupes from various districts of Castellón, Alicante and Valencia performing in the streets; presentations and exultations of fallas in theatres and dance halls around the town; until on 15th March the fallas monuments are actually erected in the streets. As of that day, Valencia no longer sleeps at night – not until late in the night of the 19th, after everything finishes.
During Fallas Week, mornings are loud and colourful. Fallas Commissions parade the streets with marching bands all headed for the City Hall grandstand to collect their awards. In the afternoons there are flower offerings and the city is turned into a river of rich costumes and fragrant flowers as entire Commissions decked out in all their finery take to the streets.
Paella
Although the impressively larger fallas in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and those in the Special Section are compulsory visits,there is also much traditionalcompetition between the fallas assembled in the streets knownas Na Jordana, Plaza del Pilar,Convento de Jerusalén and Plaza de la Merced, followed by those from Sueca/LiteratoAzorín, L’Antiga de Campanar and Nou Campanar, among others.
As opposed to the sheer size of the fallas in the Special and First Sections, you are recommended to stroll around the streets and discover those in the more popular quarters where the assemblies may not be as monumental, but are fully compensated by their humour and charm.
Fallas Gandía Photo: Juanjo Peret
Fallas are also held in a number of towns around the Land of Valencia, such as Burriana, Xàtiva, Utiel, Dénia, Manises,Paterna, etc. Townsfolk often put up a falla during their patron saint festivities, in any month of the year. The important thing is to enjoy the satire, the music, the flower offerings and, of course, plenty of loud fireworks.
Castillo Photo:Josep V. Zaragoza
Gunpowder may be popular, but street lighting is another favourite pursuit. So much so, in fact, that companies come from other parts of Spain to stage light shows. There are whole quarters of the city that stand out due to their lighting decorations,such as Ruzafa, where the falla on the corner of Sueca/Literato Azorín wins major awards in this speciality with illumination requiring some 1.2 million watts of electrical power.
Other fallas in the Special Section are also of note: NaJordana, Convento de Jerusalén/ Matemático Marzal, and in the Ensanche area (Gran Vía Marqués del Turia).
Valencians and visitors alike love the “Nit de Foc”, or night of fire, held on 18th March, where gunpowder and fireworks are the true protagonists. When the night-time sky is decorated in bright colours and punctuated by huge explosions, it is a confirmation that this festivity is of Oriental origin, adapted to Mediterranean lands. The ancient Turia riverbed serves as the site for the latest advances in fireworks exhibitions, in surprising combinations of colours and shapes. This is surely a way to enjoy life, a feast for the eyes, the ears and the heart.
The Fallas Generalitat Valenciana photos: ciberfallas.com
Cabalgata del Ninot 2008 photo: ciberfallas.com
