Las Fallas de Valencia is a vibrant and traditional Spanish festival characterized by the creation and eventual burning of large, artistic sculptures, celebrating the transition from winter to spring with music, parades, fireworks, and community gatherings.
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One of the best known festivals in Spain is "Las Fallas de Valencia"
The "fallas" are sculptures made out of wood, cardboard and plastic.
Around 700 of them are set up around the whole city, some are larger
and some are smaller.
Some of them are more humorous
and some others are more satirical.
Some artists devote months to build these monuments
which can be higher than 30 metres.
They are so big that cranes are required to put them together.
By the morning of the 16th March the "fallas" must be finished.
In order to achieve this, some artisans work without a break during the former day and night.
It is the "plantá".
People from Valencia organise themselves in "fallera" commissions.
Each of these associations is in charge of building their street's or square's "falla".
The fallera commissions compete against each other
in order to achieve the award for the most beautiful and orignal "falla".
Look, this one has been given the first prize.
The "fallera" commissions also set up marquees in their streets
to celebrate parties,
to eat
and to dance.
The main events of the Fallas are celebrated between he 15th and 19th of March.
The streets in the city centre are closed to traffic
so that people can walk around and enjoy the festival.
In the "pasacalles" the musicians play while they walk
and people follow them singing and dancing.
They are a lot of fun.
In the days of the festival, thousands of "falleros" parade wearing traditional costumes.
Women wear beautiful dresses and hairstyles.
Each "fallera" commission is followed by a marching band.
During the 17th and 18th the "falleros" bring flowers for Our Lady.
With these flowers a fantastic dress is made.
The "Fallas" is a very fun festival which takes place in the street.
If you go, you will definitely have a great time.
There are lots of huts that sell "churros" and pumpkin "buñuelos".
In the morning some "falleros" go around the streets making a lot of noise to wake up the neighbours.
It is the "despertá".
Valencian people like fireworks a lot.
They also love rockets and firecrackers that make a lot of noise.
The children set off firecrackers in the street.
At two in the afternoon the "mascletá" is celebrated in the town hall square
where hundreds of kilos of gunpowder are set off.
During the "Fallas" bullfighting also takes place.
Some streets get illuminated with colorful lights
and in the night they offer amazing music and light displays.
The fallas' fate is to be burnt on the night of the 19th March, the day of Saint Joseph.
It is the "cremá".
Why do we burn the fallas?
Pay attention to what is about to happen to the "falla" with the horse.
It burns down in a few minutes.
They are burnt beacuse in the old days, it was the carpenters' tradition to burn old things
in order to give their farewell to winter and welcome spring.
What a shame!
It is a shame that they are burnt.
Each year there is only one small figure which escapes from the fire.
(Traducción al inglés de Amalia Fernández Monterde)
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