Fallas Part 2

During the first two weeks of March every crossroad and square is cordoned off and traffic comes to a standstill. The huge sculptures are put together piece by piece in the middle of the road. All told, the average number of Fallas sculptures in Valencia city in any given year reaches over 700. That means roughly 350 huge fallas (adult) and 350 smaller one (kiddies). In this day and age, modern materials such as Styrofoam and special resins are use in the construction of the sculptures. Some fallas sculptures can be as high a 20 metres or 5 flights of stairs. You can feel the build up towards Saint Joseph's day (San José March 19th). Apart from the main clamour of the noisy Mascletá in the town square, each neighbourhood has its own firecracker and fireworks barrage. The most important days are from March 14th to March 19th. These are five days of holiday mayhem for locals and tourists alike.

Ask any Valencian what time of year they look forward to most and they will invariably tell you it's those days. Locals dress up in traditional costume and very few will get any sleep during this time. They live a chaotic street life where wine flows and good food (usually lots of paella) is cooked and eaten right there in the middle of the street. The focal point is always the fallas sculpture, which is guarded and maintained with great love and care by its own fallero association.

Considering the amount of pyrotechnic activity in Valencia during the month of March, very few people ever get injured. The reason is that Valencia has a long tradition and association with pyrotechnics. Children are educated very early on as to the dangers and beauty of fireworks; hence, the kids give great attention and respect to the world of pyrotechnics.

Glossary

Crida = the announcement made by the Fallas Queen and City Mayor calling the falla groups to assemble their sculptures.
Parot = the candlestick holder which developed from a scarecrow into a fully blown falla.
Ninot = another name for the falla sculpture that is built and then burnt.
Lo Rat Penat = an association which historically defended the fallas tradition when it went out of fashion.
Mascletá = the daily chaos of firecrackers which takes place at 2pm between the 1st and 19th of March every year.
Cremá = the burning ritual itself, which takes place on the 19th of march at midnight.
Plantá= the placing of the sculptures in their designated parts of the city.
Llibret = explanatory book written in the Valencian vernacular and humorous verse first written by Bernat i Baldoví in 1855.

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