“We’re not in Madison anymore” Moment – Las Fallas
February 26 had been a highly anticipated day for me since my arrival to Valencia. I had heard plenty of stories and been told by many locals how lucky I was to be in Valencia to experience so much tradition. Despite having had las Fallas explained to me countless times and doing my own research about the festival, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the ways in which the entire city was overtaken from February 26 through March 19. I did my best to immerse myself in every part of the festival and observe the nuances of this rich Valencian tradition.
Las Fallas, or ‘the fires’, is a festival in Valencia that honors Saint Joseph while also commemorating the coming of Spring. In many ways, the sentiment of las Fallas reminds me of New Years in that it is seen as a new beginning, a time to do away with the old, and celebrate the coming season. However, more than that, las Fallas is a fantastic display of cultural community and identity. Each neighborhood has its own caser faller, an organization of people who work all year long to prepare and fundraise for the spring, forming close-knit subgroups all over the city. The caser faller of my neighborhood congregates just outside my apartment, and their festival tent stretched the length of the road in front of my building, giving me an up-close view of everything that happened. There are more than 400 of these caser faller communities registered throughout Valencia.
Pictures from the fire parade, the day of la Cremà (when everything is burned). This parade what surreal to me because we lined the street while people ran past in costumes with fire spraying and the bands marched past, playing what could be described as ominous marching tunes.
Each caser faller has their own street where they display decorative streetlights (somewhat reminiscent to Christmas lights in the US) and a falla sculpture that gets set on fire on the last day during la Cremà. Note that ‘fallas’ refers to both the name of the celebration and the sculptures that get put up throughout the city. Some of these fallas are rather small, about my size, while others are so elaborate that they wouldn’t even fit in my front yard at home. These caser fallers cook paella in the streets and have large party tents where live music is played from 10 pm through 4 am, every night on the weekend. (You’ll recall that this tent was set up mere meters away from my front door, so sleeping during Fallas was sometimes challenging). Beginning on March 1, the Mascletàs started taking place every day at 2 pm. These were, essentially, large displays of gunpowder and fireworks in the middle of the day. It is impossible to convey in words how grandiose these Mascletàs were and how distinctly they could be heard throughout the city.
Explosive sounds were not isolated to the plaza during the Mascletàs, however. People of every age were taking to the streets, lighting fireworks in broad daylight and throwing firecrackers at anyone who walked past. Even small children walked around with wooden boxes around their necks, stocked up for the next opportunity to light their ‘petardos.’ It took me a while to become accustomed to these sudden noises in the streets, but I felt like such a local later on in the festival, when tourists filled the streets, and I was no longer startled by a firecracker going off at my feet.
As the end of las Fallas came nearer, the festivities only grew. Parades and tourists could be seen everywhere. The metros started running on a 24-hour clock, and falleras and falleros (participants in the celebration) could be found gathering throughout the city, dressed in the traditional clothing of las Fallas, followed by bands playing the music of las Fallas on every street. We even got a few days off of school to fully immerse ourselves in the festivities. For many Valencian students who themselves are falleros or falleras, this time is one of both excitement and stress, as they have been preparing all year. The days off of school are hardly considered a vacation for them, as every day is filled with duties related to Fallas.
The traditional dresses worn by the falleras. Some of these women have been falleras since before they could walk.
On the final day of Fallas, the streets are filled with fire as the paper mache sculptures are burned throughout the city, accompanied by extensive displays of fireworks and continued celebration. The last few days of Fallas were truly indescribable. In some ways, it felt like the Mediterranean might catch on fire and that the world was ending. Dramatic, maybe, but even my Valencian friends who are quite familiar with Fallas talk of the chaos that ensues on the final days of the festival each year.
Prior to this semester, I had never heard of las Fallas, and I am so grateful to have been able to experience the entire celebration from start to finish. It is impossible to describe every event which took place as part of the festivities in a single blog entry, and even more impossible to adequately express how it felt to experience it. All I knew was that I was definitely not in Madison anymore. One of the most amazing aspects of las Fallas to me is how it holds such different meaning to everyone who participates. For some, it is an opportunity for creative expression. For others, it takes on a more religious context and is centered around the historical significance of the celebration. Many enjoy las Fallas simply for the playful energy that it brings to the city. Without fail, however, it brings people together in music and celebration, which I am so grateful to have experienced.
Caitriona Treacy
Majors: Biomedical Engineering & Spanish
Hometown: Mukwonago, Wisconsin
Program: Spain, Valencia / Universidad Politecnica de Valencia Engineering Exchange