As the streets of Valencia begin to ring to the sounds of marching bands, intermingled with the echo of firecrackers, and stands selling churros and buñuelos pop up on every corner, it can only mean one thing. Fallas is here! To help guide you through the next noisy two weeks, here’s your A-Z guide! By longtime Valencia resident Catherine Dolan…
A
Artistas fallero. These are the men and women who produce the wonderful monuments that start springing up on street corners from the first week of March. They generally depict famous people; royalty, celebrities and politicians and there is no holding back as they satirise and pick fun at them. The artists work throughout the year to produce these fantastical works of art, some costing the price of a small flat, only to see them go up in smoke.
B
Bandas de música The sounds of the marching bands are an essential element of the Fallas festival and it wouldn’t be complete without them. Whenever a Falla sets off for a pasacalles – literally a procession through the streets – they are accompanied by their band, playing the typical tunes from the region like Valencia and El Fallero. The tunes are lively and fun, to animate the falleros, especially on the way back from the more solemn ofrenda. These bands mostly come from the towns around Valencia, with Llíria being particularly popular for bands.
C
La Cremà is when the monuments are burnt throughout the city on the night of 19 March. Given the height of some of the sculptures, the process has to be carefully monitored by firefighters and, although the comisión fallero (the falla group) might say they’re going to light up at X o’clock, they can’t start until the firefighters give the go ahead, so if you find yourself waiting by a monument, spare a thought for the firefighters who have to make sure that the 800 or so monuments in the city are burnt safely.
D
Disfraces Don’t be surprised if you see people wandering around in fancy dress during the festivities. Although falleros and falleras mostly wear their traditional dress, during the days of fallas there are also parties held in the carpas(the big marquee-type structures put up close to the monuments) and the members of each comisión fallero dress up in costumes, do dances, and the ever-popular ‘playbacks’ (dancing and miming to famous songs).
E
The Exposición del ninot takes place from 31 January until 14 March. Each falla puts a small character from their final monument on display in the exhibition which can be visited in the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias. Visitors can view all these ninots and vote for one of them to be saved from the flames, the ninotindulto.The exhibition closes at 5pm sharp on 14 March because the ninots have to be swiftly returned to their fallas and included in their monuments for the plantàon on 15 and 16 March.
F
The Fallera mayor is the “queen” of each comisión, chosen from among the falleras for a year. There are, in fact two, the adult fallera mayor and the fallera mayor infantil. After being FM of their falla they can be selected to be among those chosen to be fallera mayor and fallera mayor infantil of Valencia. These are the two falleras you see speaking at the start of the fiestas in the crída, and later telling Señor Pirotecnic to start the mascletà each day. Apart from starting explosions, the FM and the FMI also represent the city at civic functions throughout the year. Being a fallera mayor is a great honour, but also a huge expense for the families as they need a wardrobe of fallera outfits and are also expected to pay for lavish dinners for members of their comision. Both the FMV and FMIV has her cort d’honor, made up of 12 girls and 12 women from those who weren’t chosen to be FM or FMI.
G
The origins of the festival go back to the middle-ages, and the Gremio de Carpinteros, the Guild of Carpenters, who would have a spring clear out and burn their scraps of wood around this time. As time went on these scraps became sculptures and evolved into the festival we see today.
H
The Himno de Valencia is one of the tunes you’ll hear being played in the street by the bands. It’s the regional tune and has great meaning to Valencians. During last October’s flooding a video went viral as the crowds of workers stopped to listen and join in with the song.
I
Indumentaria Valenciana is the umbrella term for the traditional costume worn in fallas and must NEVER be referred to as a disfraz (fancy dress) unless you want to be pelted with buñuelos while having chocolate caliente poured over your head. The men generally wear a traje de saragüell, the loose dark shorts, negrilla, with a white undershort (the saragüell), a faja, the wide waistband over a blusón, the loose white shirt, and a chopetí, the waistcoat usually in a lively fabric. All this is topped off with a scarf or mocador on their head. There are of course those who prefer the more formal XVII century style, reminiscent of the court of Louis XIV.
The women’s costume is referred to as a traje – a suit or costume – rather than a dress as it comprises two parts: the falda, skirt, and the corpiño, bodice. And please put all thoughts of Princess Leia in a dress made of curtains out of your heads, this is serious stuff. Like the men’s costume there are different types, some more formal than others and some also reflective of the French court. The huertana or labrador is based on what women would have worn in the fields and has a white blouse under a laced bodice and a lighter skirt usually made of cotton. The fabrics used for the more formal costumes are somewhat heavier – as are the price-tags.
The distinctive fallera hairstyle comprises a large bun or moño at the back, usually made from bought hair, and two smaller rodetes at the sides. The hairstyle is obviously designed for the thick, long hair that girls living in the Mediterranean tended to have, and those with long, flowing locks do still use their own hair. The ‘do’ is topped off with three peinetas, the large silver or gold hair combs, although some prefer just to wear just the moño at the back. Finally, the fallera is adorned with aderezos; some large dangly earrings, a necklace and a broach.
In addition to all this is the cancan, a well-engineered petticoat, which goes underneath the skirt and gives it that stiff toilet-roll doll effect. On top of that goes the enagua, a pretty cotton petticoat, often with a faldriquera a large cloth pocket sewn in, where the modern fallera can keep her mobile phone, packet of tissues, maybe a snack, because being fallera also means a lot of hanging around. It is certainly not a cheap business and also not for the faint-hearted either. They might look amazing but dressing as a fallera is hardwork.
J
The Junta Central Fallero is the governing body of Las Fallas, which organises the events, the timings of the ofrenda, and generally maintains the smooth running of the festival. Interestingly, the head of the JCF is a political appointment, made by the city hall.
K
Thousands of Kilos of ‘polvora’ (explosives)are let off every year during the days of the festival. Each five-minute mascletà uses between 100 and 120 kilos, and costs the city council 10,000 euros, while the nit de foc, which lasts around 20 minutes, explodes a whopping 2,000 kilos.
L
As well as their falla monuments, some comisiones also compete in the Luces section, with the fallas of Sueca and Cuba renowned for having some of the best illuminations. Throughout the city the lights can be seen from 7 to 19 March.
LL
The Llibret is the book produced annually, in March by each comisión where all the members of the falla are listed, photos of activities throughout the year are included and of course, there are is plenty written about the fallera mayor. The average cost of belonging to a falla is between 350 and 400 euros per year, but for that money you get plenty of subsidised meals and bar tickets, as well as activities throughout the year, and during the week of fallas.
M
Every day from 1 to 19 March the Mascletà takes place at 2pm in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, weather permitting. Each day a different pirotécnic group puts on the display, which has to be heard to be believed. The explosions reverberate around the square but can be felt throughout the city. It is not recommended for anyone of a nervous disposition or with delicate ear drums. The show lasts around five minutes but if you want to experience it from inside the square, you need to bag your spot at least an hour before and be sure to take a water and sun protection with you.
Alternatively, many Fallas have their own mascletà at 2pm during the week of fallas, if you don’t feel like being squashed like a sardine for an hour in the sun.
N
The Nit del Foc, Castillo de Fuegos Artificiales, is an immense fireworks display in the Turía gardens, the old riverbed, at the Palau de les Arts. There are fireworks on 16, 17 and 18 March at midnight, but the biggest and best is the final display on the night of 18 March, the nit del foc.
O
For the Ofrenda de flores falleros and falleras put on their best trajes and parade through the streets, accompanied by their musical band, to Plaza de la Virgen. A huge statue of Valencia’s patron saint La Virgen de los Desamparados (Virgen of the Unsheltered), is wheeled out and a beautiful cape is made below her from the red and white flowers that the falleras bring her. The ceremony is very emotional and few falleras pass dry-eyed. The processions take place after lunch on 17 and 18 March, sometimes finishing in the small hours, unsurprisingly as the city’s 382 comisiones have to pass by.
P
La Plantà is when members of the comisiones help the falla artists finish constructing the monuments in readiness for the judges of the JCF. The plantà infantil takes place on 15 March and the plantà of the larger monuments on the 16 March. As falleros like nothing more than getting together for a meal, once the monument is built, they celebrate with la cena de la planta. Another important gathering in the run-up to Fallas are the Paellas which are made in the streets of the city. Groups of friends within the falla get together and compete to make the best paella.
Q
Quiet time Valencia City Council asks everyone to refrain from throwing firecrackers between 9 and 10 in the morning, and 3 and 5 in the afternoon, to allow dog owners to take their animals out for a walk without fear of being upset by bangs at every turn. Whether these times are respected is another matter.
R
When all the monuments have been constructed, representatives from each falla pass through Plaza del Ayuntamiento to collect their prizes, in the Recogida de premios which will be the afternoon of 16 March for the children’s awards and 17 March for the adults.
S
San José or Father’s Day is celebrated across Spain on 19 March and is a regional holiday in Valencia where the festival which was started by carpenters, celebrates the most famous carpenter of history, Joseph, the father of Jesus.
T
A Traca is the rope with a series of extremely loud firecrackers attached to it which is lit and burns exceptionally quickly to start a mascletà or set the fallas monuments alight.
U
In 2016 UNESCO recognised the fallas festival as having an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, reflecting its importance as a cultural and artistic event, which annually attracts more than a million visitors.
V
Verbenas are the popular mobile discos held in the streets between 10pm and 4am on 8 March as well as 15 to 18 March. Here is a list of the Verbenas in the city, complied by Valencia Secreta, although the best way to find a verbena is simply to follow your ears.
W
OK, so W was always going to be a tricky letter, so I consulted a young fallero for inspiration. “Whisky, of course!” was his reply. So, there you have it.
X
Xátiva and Colón metro stations close between 12.30 and 2.30 between 16th and 19th March to avoid crushes of people at the time of the mascletà. Be warned!
Y
Yatova, like most small towns in the Valencia region, celebrates fallas. because let’s not forget the festival dates back to the middle ages and the traditional songs sing about fields and villages. Fallas is not only in the regional capital, although that is certainly where you’ll find the biggest monuments, the loudest bangs and definitely the most crowded streets, but also in the small towns across the region.
Z
Zona de fuegos is the area each comisión allocates for children to throw crackers close to the monument or the carpa. These areas are usually cordoned off with metal fences, although that said, it doesn’t necessarily follow that firecrackers will be thrown exclusively in these areas. This is Spain, after all!