This year I had the pleasure to assist to one
of the most important event that opens the spring in Spain: Las Fallas de
Valencia. In this article I am going to investigate which was the original
meaning and see how it has transformed all over the centuries.
Sacred and Secular Origins:
The mixture between sacred and secular it has
always been strong in Catholic countries. However, there are different
hypothesis about the origin of Las Fallas festival. One suggests that
the Fallas started in the Middle Ages, when artisans used to burn broken
artifacts and pieces of wood that they saved during the winter in order to
celebrate the Spring Equinox. Another one is that Valencian
carpenters used some planks of wood called parots to hang their
candles on during the winter. When spring came, they were no longer necessary,
so they were burned. Over time, and with the intervention of the Church, the
date of the burning of these parots was made to coincide with
the celebration of the festival of Saint Joseph, the patron of carpenters. It was
almost in the XVIII Century when Fallas were included in the celebrations for
Saint Joseph (19 March). The morning of the 18 March in the streets of Valencia
puppets (ninot) were hanged on the windows of the houses which represented “the
public shame” and were allusive of some deplorable conduct of public figures.
During the day kids recollect pieces of woods or other combustible material in
order to prepare small stakes called “fallas” in which the puppets were burned.
The burning symbolized mainly the liberation from servitude to the memory of
events or people represented. The festival thus became with a more satirical
and ironic character and the wooden figures gradually became more elaborate
'monuments' that were designed and painted in advance.
Tradition and Modernity:
The tradition has evolved during the centuries
till the point to become a structured and organized festival able to attract
national and foreign people as well. The structure is the following: there is
“La Junta Central Fallera” which is the main organ who regulates and coordinates
the festival in Valencia and in the districts nearby. It is in charge of
electing the "Fallera Mayor" de Valencia, which is the
Ambassadress of the festival, but also of electing the
best fallas of every category. Besides it also manages every central act of the
Festival like “La
Ofrenda de Flores”. It is central also for the Valencia municipality; it cannot
be separated from it due to its civic importance.
There is another organ that is “Las Comisiones Falleras”. In every street of the city there is a "casal fallero", a place where each
“comisiones falleras” gathers. They try to find money and resources to pay the
festival and their own monument. Besides, every commission has a “comisión
infantil”; it is constituted by children which build their own falla. The rest
of the year in every casal there are cultural and social events
which make the las comisiones falleras one of the most important elements of
the associative life in Valencia.
Another important protaganist is of course “El
monumento fallero” which is the monument which have a satiric character based
on nowadays life. Las fallas is constituted of a central composition high
various metres and other figures made of papier-mache or polyurethane.
The Fallas is structured in five days and
nights of events (from 15 -19 March) as follows:
- La Despertá
Fallas begins at 8:00 am of each of the five
days with La Despertà ("the wake-up call"). Bands
begin to march down every street and to play live music. Behind them are
the fallers, throwing large firecrackers in the street as they go.
- La Mascletà
The Mascletà is an explosive
barrage of coordinated fireworks which takes place in each neighbourhood
at 2:00 pm every day of the festival. The most important one is the municipal
Mascletà in the Plaça de l'Ajuntament where the
pyrotechnicians compete for the honor of providing the final Mascletà of the
fiestas (on 19 March).
- L'Ofrena de flors
In this event, the flower offering, each
falleros takes an offering of flowers to the Virgin Mary. This occurs all day during 17–18 March. A statue of the Virgin Mary and its
large pedestal are then covered with all the flowers. Los falleros make a
parade in their typical costume accompanied by bands.
- Els Castells and La Nit del Foc
- Cabalgata del Fuego
On the final evening of Fallas, at 7pm on March
19, a parade known in Spanish as the Cabalgata del Fuego (the
Fire Parade) takes place along Colon street and Porta de la Mar square. This
spectacular celebration of fire, the symbol of the fiesta’s spirit, is
the end of Fallas and a colourful event featuring exhibitions of
the varied rites and displays from around the world which use fire; it
incorporates floats, giant mechanisms, and people in costumes, rockets,
gunpowder, street performances and music.
- La Cremà
On the final night of Las Fallas, around midnight
on March 19, these fallas are burnt as huge bonfires. This is
known as La Cremà (the Burning), the reason why the constructions
are called Fallas ("torches"). Traditionally, the
falla in the Plaça de l'Ajuntament is burned last.
Many neighbourhoods have a falla
infantil (a children's falla, smaller and without
satirical themes), which is held a few metres away from the main one. This is
burnt first, at 10:00 pm. The main neighbourhood fallas are
burnt closer to midnight.
As a consequence we can easily understand how
the Festival is the most important event of the city and how is deeply
entranced in the culture and history of the people living in there, since the preparation takes one year and includes the valencian community as a
whole. However, how much “tradition” still survives in it? With mass tourism in
the recent year the authentic meaning fade slowly away and it became a mere
commercial event for the city with a lot of foreign people which make the
fortune of restaurants and hotels. There is from one side a huge increase of
tourisms and of the benefits which can derive from it, but on the other side, does local people really enjoy the festival? What about the ones
that live in the city centre? It would be crazy to go out and do normal things
for them in those days. What about the noise and dirty in the streets in that period?
Is keeping the traditons and savegard them worth such huge counter effects?
Is keeping the traditons and savegard them worth such huge counter effects?
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