During the festival of Las Fallas many of the communities of Valencia build small (fallas Infantil), medium (fallas Premios) and massive (fallas Especial) Fallas or Monuments. The Fallas Especial are amazing fallas which can reach heights of 70 feet or more. They are stunning to say the least.
To find a Falla Especial all you need to do is follow the crowds. And the crowds were intense! Not only is the city of Valencia full of people but there were hundreds, yes hundreds, of buses that brought even more people from the outlying communities and cities. Here is a picture of 100 buses (I counted them) all lined up and there were more if you looked in the opposite direction! Amazing!
In spite of the huge crowds we took hundreds of photos to share with you. We couldn’t help ourselves, the fallas are so stunning. And we managed to get to all nine Falla Especial which is a feat in itself since they are each a mile or more apart.
This year there were over 350 fallas “planted” all over the city. They were everywhere! Even so I would bet that we only saw 50 or 60, maybe more; still too many to count.
Every falla is made of combustible materials such as papier-mâché and expanded polystyrene (cardboard, wood, paper, fabrics, or wax in the past) and are set ablaze on the last day of Las Fallas during La Cremà. We hope to be present during the La Cremà of the local falla; the Falla L’Antiga de Campanar. If we make it to 1AM, and survive the crowds, to watch the spectacle we will have a special page for the event.
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- Falla – a figure that is made for festival (also referred to as a monument)
- Fallas – refers to both the celebration and the monuments burned during the festival
- La Cremà – the act of setting fire to Falla monuments
Salut from these valencianos,
Ted & Julia
(click on any picture to go to slideshow view)
Our Tapestry 