Las Fallas de Valencia - a fiery festival!

There are many weird and wonderful festivals in the Spanish calendar, one of the most famous being Las Fallas de Valencia, which will take place between the 15^th and 19^th of March. It is a fire-filled event that is really worth seeing whilst in Valencia!

Fallas literally means ‘fire’ in Valencian dialect, which explains the main attraction of the festival. However, there is a lot more to it than that. Throughout the year, huge structures made of cardboard, wood and paper mache are made in preparation for the festival. They are modelled into puppet-type sculptures, called ninots that usually depict comical or satirical scenes, including Spanish politicians and celebrities.

These are placed around the city, filled with fireworks and, at midnight on the 19^th March, known as la cremà (the burning) they are eventually set on fire, creating huge spectacles for the people in Valencia to see. The most popular ninot of the festival, however, is saved and placed in the city’s museum of ninots.

The origins of the festival are not exactly clear but it is thought to have originated hundreds of years ago, when wooden structures were used to hang street lamps and candles on during the winter. However, when the longer days of summer came, they were no longer needed and the wood was burned to celebrate the coming of spring.

Apart from the fires, there are many other events taking place in the city during the 5 day festival, including fireworks every night, parades, music and plenty of traditional food and drink, including the typical Valencian dish paella.

Las Fallas is a truly unique festival that makes Valencia an even more exciting placed to visit than usual!