Fallas in Valencia
With thousands of light bulbs strung in garlands and hanging from columns, Valencia, in all its vivacious splendour and amidst the eager revelry of its people, stages the most spectacular of festivals: Las Fallas, your kind of event!, a loud, high-spirited fiesta where the whole town is literally set ablaze!!
Las Fallas is undoubtedly one of the most unique and crazy festivals in Spain. Our country is known for its unique and odd fiestas.
On 1 March, the first call will ring out for Las Fallas. Every day from 1 to 19 March, exacly at 2 pm. the Mascletaes, rhythmical explosions of gunpowder, will fill the Plaza del Ayuntamiento with tourists and locals alike, who all flock to enjoy the noisy spectacle. The Semana Grande (big week) begins on the 15th with the traditional Plantà: when more than 700 monuments are erected throughout the city’s streets, and fireworks displays are set off next to the Turia’s dry riverbed. However, the most eagerly anticipated days are, without a doubt, the 17th and 18th; two days during which thousands of Valencians dress up in their finest regional costumes made from natural silk, to leave bunches of flowers at the Ofrenda de Flores a la Virgen de los Desamparados (Offering of Flowers to Our Lady of the Forsaken), the most moving part of the celebrations, when white, pink and red carnations form the cloak of the city’s patron saint. The festivities culminate on the 19th, the day known as La Crema (the burning), St. Joseph’s day, the patron saint of carpenters, when, at the stroke of midnight, the streetlights are turned off and all of the monuments are consumed by flames in welcome of Spring.
Valencia, with a population of just over 1 million, swells to an estimated three million flame-loving revelers during Las Fallas celebrations.
Las Fallas literally means “the fires” in Valencian. The focus of the fiesta is the creation and destruction of ninots (”puppets” or “dolls”) which are huge cardboard, wood, paper machè and paster statues. The ninots are extremely lifelike and usually depict bawdy, satirical scenes and current events. A popular theme is poking fun at corrupt politicians and Spanish celebrities. The labor intensive ninots are crafted by neighborhood organizations and take almost the entire year to construct.
Each year, one of the ninots is spared from fire destruction by popular vote. This ninot is called the ninot indultat (the pardoned puppet) and is exhibited in the local Museum of the Ninot, along with the other favorites from years past.
The Fallas of Valencia are distributed throughout streets of the entire city, for this reason Venamicasa offers you all the information about Las Fallas, and a map of Valencia where all the Fallas are market, so that you do not miss any of the fabulous Fallas.
PRICES 2012 HOMESTAY VALENCIA IN FALLAS
From March 1st to 14th…………………………………. 30 euros/night.
From March 15th to 19th………………………………. 35 euros/night.
The price includes accommodation in the City Center of Valencia, a daily full breakfast and dinner with the most typical delicious Spanish dishes, fresh food and vegetables, the most famous Tapas with the best wines and fine sweets of Fallas.
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