Crowds of onlookers and all the Fallas Committees gather beneath the Serranos Towers, one of historical Valencia’s best-known monuments, usually on the last Sunday in February.

Crida 2009 Photo:Lázaro de la Peña

After a spectacular inaugural display of light, sound, music and fireworks, the “Fallera Mayor” of Valencia (elected festival queen), surrounded by her Court of Honour and the city authorities, invites everyone to enjoy the imminent fiesta, proclaiming its excellence and virtues.

fallas from Valencia

Marta Agustín Fallera Mayor 2009 Photo: Lázaro de la Peña

Casal Albacete-Marvá

This is the main office and business headquarters of each Fallas Committee. Above and beyond that, though, “El Casal” is the neuralgic centre of the group’s daily frenzy of activity, not just during the Fallas Festival, but also during the rest of the year.

It is there where the Fallas’ financial and business organisation takes place and, when the fiesta arrives, the Casal doors are opened up to locals, tourists and “Falleros” from other commissions to share such a special time with them.

Casal Avda. Burjassot - Padre Carbonell

Fallas from valencia

Crida 2006

In general, a Committee’s organisational structure is simple: it is headed by an elected chairman, who is ultimately responsible for the group’s actions. The chairman appoints a board made up of vice-presidents, a secretary, an accountant and a treasurer, plus a series of delegates who share responsibility for the different areas of work. None of these positions involves any financial compensation: the “Falleros” (members of a Fallas Committee) work and sacrifice their time solely for the benefit of the fiesta.

The Committee has to meet periodically at a General Assembly, attended by all members and where any information concerning it is brought up to date and any agreements as to its proper running are taken.
Additionally, every year, each Committee appoints its top representative for the Fallas Fiesta: its own “Fallera Mayor”. The other women in the group make up the Court of Honour that accompanies her in the Fallas week’s events.

Fallas 2009 Merced

Likewise, each Committee has a Children’s Section, just like the adults’ one and which is also represented by its own “Fallera Mayor Infantil”.

At present, there are more than 400 Fallas Committees listed officially in the city of Valencia, and a similar number again scattered all over the Region of Valencia.

fallas from Valencia

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