In a rainy Valencia the Fallas celebrations ploughed ahead and came to a close on Saturday. Some events were cancelled, postponed or tweaked but the spirit lived on…
My personal experience was also affected by weather conditions but I caught the main essence and was in amongst it in parts. This is a wrap up post to complement my last couple of articles and give a general view of some of the activities.
Paddy Power
If the Fallas shenanigans weren’t enough, you also had St Patrick’s day fall in amongst it all. This resulted in an even busier city, bars overflowing and a general mixture of merriment. That fell on the Thursday (17th), queues to the main Irish bars in addition to what was already happening.
L'Ofrena de Flors
Also on Thursday as well as Friday 18th there was the Ofrenda - essentially a procession culminating in an offering of flowers to the Virgin Mary.
See a short video here.
Buga Boogie & La Nit del Foc
In the last article I referenced the Valencia Nomads community and Bugalu Bar. It was the first anniversary of the group, so there was a bit of a party at the bar. Of course, many people were out and about enjoying the fiestas but we had a good crowd coming and going.
At 1:30am there were the big fireworks and we celebrated La Nit del Foc, which means the night of fire! On this night and the 3 nights previous, there are firework displays on the old riverbed; each night getting progressively grander, culminating in this explosive show.
Verbenas & Street Raves
What does smack you in the face (other than the constant explosions around the city) is all the street parties. A ‘verbena’ is a term that be used to describe these things, and is a street event with food, drinks and music.
There are also these tents/marquees erected around the various neighbourhoods with what sounds like a full on rave going on if you go past late at night. You generally have to be ‘in’ with a particular Cassal faller (a group of people who organise the event for each neighbourhood) and get an invite.
La Cremà of the Crop
The last night is known as La Cremà (the burning). This is where they set fire to their great works! Much like a bonfire, this is the climax of the whole event. The smaller construction goes first, and then the main one… and this happens all around the city, with the big one in the city centre going last.
Check out this video! Yet another big firework display and the burning of the 'Falla Municipal' in Plaça de l'Ajuntament (town hall square) which starts around 7 minutes in:
The Week That Was; and Next Year?
There’s a lot to love about this festival, but it can also get it a bit much. It’s really quite a spectacle. It can be a lot of fun, but bear in mind the constant bangs and noises can give you a bit of a jump if you’re of a nervous disposition and it can also get a little tired if you’re not quite in the mood. That said, it is what it is and what you signed up for if you’re in the city in March! Think of it like New Year’s every day ;)
So there we have it. A wet week but it didn’t dampen our spirits… Fallas rocked on and put on quite the show for locals, expats and tourists alike. I’m happy to have been a part of it and will be back I’m sure. There were aspects that can be a bit much as I say, but there were great moments and a spectacular show at every corner. A non-stop feast of fire and fun - as mentioned before, not for the faint hearted and worth experiencing at least once in your life.
I feel I didn’t do as much as I could plus only scratched the surface of the traditions and the intricacies of the event, so getting involved next year has to be on the cards. I will be intrigued as to what I’ll see and learn next time and hopefully get a few of those 300+ days of sun Valencia is famous for!
~ Adam
@adambarratt
www.AdamBarratt.com
Paddy's Day seems to be celebrated everywhere. I've been in Irish bars in Kyiv and Jerusalem. We Brits seem to save our fireworks for November, but other cultures use them more. I expect people feel more of a need to blow off some steam this year.
For sure, St Patrick's celebrations are pretty much everywhere. Yeah, they seem to love loud, explosive things here! And extra pent up steam as you say having missed a couple of years.
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