A friend of mine was visiting from England, and once she got past the initial shock of seeing children being allowed to throw fireworks in the street, I think she had a good time.

Here are some of my pictures from our wanderings around Valencia. Please share yours!

The Fallas are acted out on the streets, from 1st of March until the 19th, every day at 2 p.m. there’s a mascletà at the Pl. Ayuntamiento. The mascletas last about twenty minutes and consist of millions of high potential jumping crackers which explode. The noise and the smell of gun powder join each other until the end of the mascletà.

Don’t miss it! It’s an incredible experience: your body trembles and it gives you goosebumps all over your body. Actually, the Fallas are four days, from 16th to 19th of March, but during the whole month various events take place, like music concerts, fancy dress processions, exhibitions etc.

In the night of the 14th of March the “plantá infantil” takes place (the one of the children) and on the 15th the “plantá de todas las fallas”. Every comisión fallera (normally there’s one in each neighbourhood) put their fallas on the street: Normally they represent a current topic in a satirical way. The Fallas use to be a couple of meters high (the biggest ones reach up to 25 or 30 meters) and consist of various figures made of carton piedra put on a wooden frame. The Fallas include signs written in Valencian which explain the sense of every scene, always with a critical and satiric signification. The most beautiful and most surprising Falla wins the first prize and everybody goes to see it.

The 17th and the 18th the ofrenda takes place: During these days the comisiones falleras offer flowers to the Virgen de los desamparados (Virgin of the unprotected). It normally starts in the afternoon and ends at one or two in the night. The same day after the Ofrenda starts “La nit de foc” (The night of the fire) with the best fireworks. Lights, colours, drawings and gun powder fill the sky of Valencia. It’s something you’d better not miss.

On the 19th of March which is the last day “la Cremà” takes place during the night. The “cremà” is the final act of the Fallas and consists of the burning of the monuments. First, about 22 p.m. the monumento infantil is burned apart from the falla which has won the first prize of the special section which is burned at 22.30 p.m. After that, the main monument is burned at midnight followed by the burning of the winner of the first prize in the special section of this category. Finally, at one o’clock in the morning, the monumento fallero which is outside the category is burned at Pl. Ayuntamiento.

Enjoy the Fallas as they are a unique event!