If you’re in Valencia, you must have heard about the Fallas festival! Read on to find out more about this festivity and the main events which will take place in the following weeks.
Music, parades, traditional costumes, pyrotechnic spectacles, fireworks, noise, gunpowder. This is Fallas, when Valencia comes alive every March with a mix of culture, history, parties, gastronomy and sound! Fallas is the largest festivity in Valencia and internationally recognized, so much so that it was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2016.
Its name refers both to the celebration and the monuments that are constructed and distributed among the city during this time, which are then burnt on the last day of the celebration, on the 19th of March. People say the origin of this unique event dates back to many centuries ago when a group of carpenters led by “San José” started the tradition of burning their old furniture on the 19th of March. That’s why it’s a tradition celebrated annually, on the same five days, from the 15th to the 19th of March – in which on the last day all the monuments are burnt in commemoration of “San José”.
Fallas is the result of strong cultural heritage transmitted through different generations, and more than a simple event – some could say it’s a lifestyle for the people of Valencia who work towards it all year round, culminating in the main even in March. Every monument distributed among the city is a different “Falla” and has its own name, its own community group (known as “Falleros/as”) and its own events program. People worldwide come to Valencia during this time to enjoy a unique Valencian experience, so if you’re already in Valencia, you’re in luck!
The various parades are also a remarkable experience, where you can appreciate the typical clothing, dances, and music of the Falleros.
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