Valencia Fallas
falla valencian falles spanish falla traditional celebration held annually commemoration saint joseph city valencia spain five main day celebrated march mascletà pyrotechnic spectacle firecracker detonation take place every day march term falla refers celebration falla monument falla singular fallasfalles plural burnt celebration falla falles valencian festival added unesco intangible cultural heritage humanity list november number town valencian community similar celebration inspired original falla de valencia festival example bonfire saint john hogueras de san juan fogueres de sant joan alicante fiesta de la magdalena castellón de la plana neighbourhood city organised group people comission meet casal faller work year long holding fundraising party dinner usually featuring noted dish paella specialty region comission produce construction known falla burned last day celebration currently approximately registered comissions valencia name festival plural valencian word falla word derivation follows latin fax accusative facem torch → latin facula diminutive accusative faculam → vulgar latin faclam → valencian falla formerly much time would spent casal faller preparing ninots valencian name puppet doll four day leading march group take ninot grand parade mount elaborate firecrackerfilled cardboard papermâché artistic monument street given neighbourhood whole assembly falla ninots falles constructed according agreedupon theme traditionally satirical jab whatever draw attention faller registered participant casals modern time twoweeklong festival spawned substantial local industry point entire suburban area designated ciutat fallera falles city crew artist artisan sculptor painter craftsman spend month producing elaborate construction paper wax wood polystyrene foam tableau towering five story composed fanciful figure often caricature provocative pose arranged gravitydefying manner produced direction one many individual neighbourhood casals faller vie attract best artist create outrageous allegorical monument target neighbourhood association valencia member quarter city population falla many people wear casal faller dress regional historical costume different era valèncias history dolçaina oboelike reed instrument tabalet kind valencian drum frequently heard different casals faller traditional band although falles traditional event many participant dress medieval clothing ninots included modern character shrek george w bush falles included character like barack obama lady gaga literary contest organised annually since lo rat penat cultural association recognises work local poet write satirical verse valencian explain character faller verse collected booklet llibrets distributed participant five day night falla might described continuous street party multitude procession historical religious comedic crowd restaurant spill street explosion heard day long sporadically night everyone small child elderly people seen throwing firework noisemaker street littered pyrotechnical debris timing event fixed fall date every year though discussion holding event weekend preceding falla take greater advantage tourist potential festival changing end date year due occur midweek outside falla proper falla season within valencian community begin final sunday february last till march st joseph day held last sunday february la crida held evening torres de serranos historical gateway city preceded firework display son et lumierie show city mayor present key fallera major princess address formally declaring commencement festivity himne de lexposició marcha real played city band mark formal start festivity season day falles begin la despertà wakeup call brass band appear casals begin march every street playing lively music close behind faller throwing large firecracker street go mascletà explosive barrage coordinated firecracker firework display take place pm march including festival proper main event municipal mascletà plaça de lajuntament pyrotechnicians compete honour providing final mascletà festes march pm clock chime fallera major dressed fallera finery call balcony city hall senyora pirotècnica pot començar la mascletà mrms pyrotechnic mascletà may commence mascletà begin mascletà almost unique valencian community popular valencian people smaller neighbourhood often hold mascletà saint day wedding celebration nighttime variant run evening hour pyrotechnicans present afternoon day woman pyrotechnicians selected compete event televised regionwide day th falles infantils finished constructed later night falles major big falles completed face disqualification city falles major finally done firework display amb de la falles held city hall square pay tribute everyone made work possible event flower offering casals faller take offering flower virgin mary titled lady forsaken principal patroness city valencia wider community occurs day – march first day attended falleja major court statue virgin mary large pedestal covered flower night th firework display old riverbed valència night progressively grander last called la nit del foc night fire final evening falles pm march parade known valencian cavalcada del foc fire parade take place along colón street porta de la mar square spectacular celebration fire symbol fiesta spirit grand finale falla colourful noisy event featuring exhibition varied rite display around world use fire incorporates float giant mechanism people costume rocket gunpowder street performance music final night falles around midnight march falles burnt huge bonfire known la cremà burning climax whole event reason construction called falles torch traditionally falla plaça de lajuntament burned last comissions falla infantil childrens falles smaller without satirical theme held meter away main one burnt first pm main neighbourhood falles burnt closer midnight burning falles city centre often start later example fire brigade delayed burning egyptian funeral falla carrer del convent de jerusalem sure safety concern addressed falla laden firework lit first construction lit either explosion firework falles burn quite quickly heat given felt around heat larger one often drive crowd back couple metre even though already behind barrier fire brigade set several meter construction narrower street heat scorch surrounding building fireman douse front window blind street sign etc water hose stop catching fire melting beginning cremà cool away falles people frolic street whole city resembling openair dance party except instead music incessant occasionally deafening sound people throwing firework around randomly many stall selling trinket snack typical fried porres churros bunyols well roasted chestnut smaller falla dotted around street burned approximately time last falla burned main one saved last everybody watch main falla found outside ajuntament – city hall building people arrive hour scheduled burning time get front row view final falla burned public signal fallera major officially commence traditional dress worn faller male changed black trouser black jacket white shirt motif colorful traditional historic custom many decoration dress expensive much dress reines falleras queen festival royal court price female traditional dress vary euro euro astonishing beauty accompanied traditional hair style jewelry different conjecture regarding origin falla festival one suggests falla started middle age artisan disposed broken artefact piece wood saved winter burning celebrate spring equinox valencian carpenter used plank wood called parots hang candle winter needed provide light work coming spring longer necessary burned time intervention church date burning parots made coincide celebration festival saint joseph patron saint carpenter tradition continued evolve parot dressed clothing looked like person feature identifiable wellknown person neighbourhood often added well collect material child went house house asking una estoreta velleta old rug add parot became popular song child sang gathered sort old flammable furniture utensil burn bonfire parot parots first ninots year people neighbourhood began organise building falles thus typically intricate construction including various figure born beginning th century falles tall box three four wax doll dressed fabric clothing changed creator began use cardboard fabrication falles continues evolve modern time largest display made polystyrene soft cork easily molded hot saw technique allowed creation falles metre high origin pagan festival similar bonfire saint john celebrated alicante region sense came latin custom lighting fire welcome spring valència ancient tradition led burning accumulated waste particularly wood end winter feast day saint joseph given reputed humorous character valencians natural people began burn figurine depicting person event past year burning symbolised liberation living servitude memory event else represented humorous often critical commentary festival thus evolved satirical ironic character wooden castoffs gradually came assembled progressively elaborate monument designed painted advance early th century especially spanish civil war monument became anticlerical nature often highly critical local national government tried ban falles many time without success dictatorship francisco franco celebration lost much satirical nature government censorship monument among fervent public expression allowed could made freely valència period many religious custom offering flower mare de déu dels desamparats lady forsaken taken today essential part festival even though unrelated original purpose celebration restoration democracy end government censorship critical falles reappeared obscene satirical one despite thirty year freedom expression world view faller still socially conservative often sexist may involve amoralism valencian politics sometimes led criticism certain cultural critic environmentalist progressive yet celebrant ideology faction different interpretation spirit celebration although recent initiative pilota championship literary competition event broadened cultural expression city still embrace ancient tradition express singular identity throughout history falla suspended six time faller refused place monument protest increase canon peseta peseta imposed penalized placement street followup complete two failure state war declared spanish american war falla annulled two day beginning year falla suspended due spanish civil war suspension affect falla since already held war started money destined falla destined republican cause beginning war march valencian generalitat ministry health report decided suspend postpone party falla act comprise result coronavirus epidemic preventive measure stop spread virus festival cancelled returned secció especial group largest prestigious falles commission city valencia group consisted commission class falles first started originally included falles barque reinapau plaça del mercat currently none still group commission often participated group na jordana time secció especial award prize exception one awarded valencia city council winning first prize secció especial prestigious prize falla win falles fall different class determined amount money invested work recent winner secció especial list winner sección especial falles official page falla festival official page falla festival organizing committee falla festival spanish valencian english french german promotional video falla festival explanation falla event english iphoneipod app la falla falla valencia beauty fire archived wayback machine