Fallas 2015 - What it is?

Fallas De Valencia is held in commemoration of St. Joseph. While many places around the world honor St. Joseph with altars and other smaller celebrations, the events of this festival last for 5 days and are much larger.  The days and nights of Fallas De Valencia are filled with music, fireworks, parades and plenty of revelry. There are different types of events that occur. Some of the events happen daily and others are on certain days. The festival includes the building of monuments that the different communities work on for the entire year. The monuments are satirical in nature.

Every morning at 8 AM residents and visitors are greeted with the wakeup call. Brass bands march down every street playing music. This is known locally as “La Desparta”.

At 2 PM a barrage of fireworks is sent skyward. In the Plaça de l'Ajuntament, the communities compete to have the best display and win the honor of giving the final Mascleta of the fiesta that takes place on March 19th. These fireworks displays are known as the “La Mascleta”.

On the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th of March there are more fireworks displays that are held at night. These displays get progressively larger and more spectacular with each passing night. These are known as “Els Castells and La Nit del Foc”. During the “L'Ofrena de flors”, flowers are offered during the entire days of March 17th and 18th as an offering to the Virgin Mary

 

All of the events of the first four days of the Fallas De Valencia are leading up to the big events that occur during the final day. The Cabalgata Del Fuego begins at 7 PM. During this celebration parades run that include floats, costumed people, musicians, rockets, gunpowder and the monuments, also known as the Fallas that the communities have created. It is a night that is filled with fun, excitement and grandeur.

The parades are a celebration of fire and all that it provides. At 10 PM, the falla infanti is held. During this, smaller monuments that do not follow the satirical themes of the larger monuments are burned. At midnight, the large monuments are burned. This takes place in the Plaça de l'Ajuntament. What makes the burning of the monuments even more spectacular is the fireworks that fill the insides of these creations. The explosions that occur as the monuments burn is something that has to be seen to be understood.

While all 5 days are a great experience, it is the last day and night that hold the most wonder for anyone that visits the towns around Valencia. March 19th is the date of the final day and it should be circled on the calendar.