Valencia Fallas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valencia Fallas Fallas de Valencia Falles de València
Falla Na Jordana 2003 (1st prize)
Date(s)	15 to 19 March
Frequency	Annual
Location(s)	Valencia, Spain

The Fallas (which means Falles in Valencian and Fallas in Spanish) is a big, traditional party held every year in Valencia, Spain. It celebrates Saint Joseph. The main days of the festival are from March 15 to 19. But before that, from March 1 to 19, there's a daily show called the Mascletà. This is a loud display of firecrackers and fireworks. The word Fallas refers to both the celebration itself and the huge art pieces (called Falla if singular, or Fallas/Falles if plural) that are burned during the party. Other towns in the Valencian Community have similar celebrations, like the bonfires in Alicante. The Fallas festival was added to UNESCO's list of important cultural heritage in 2016.

Each neighborhood in Valencia has a group of people called a Casal faller. These groups work all year to raise money for the festival. They often hold parties and dinners, usually serving paella, a famous dish from the region. Each casal faller creates a large art structure called a falla, which is later burned. There are about 400 casals fallers in Valencia.

What's in a Name?

The name of the festival, Fallas, comes from the Valencian language. The word falla originally meant "torch" in an old language. So, the festival's name is like saying "the torches."

Amazing Falles and Ninots

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  Falla Cuba 2012 (2nd prize)

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  Fallas 2019 from Valencia

The casal faller groups spend a lot of time making the ninots. These are like puppets or dolls. In the four days before March 19, each group parades its ninot. Then, they set it up on a huge, artistic monument. These monuments are made of cardboard and paper-mâché and are filled with firecrackers. The whole art piece is called a falla.

The ninots and falles are usually built around a theme. This theme is often a funny or critical look at something that caught the attention of the fallers (the people in the casals). Today, the festival is so big that there's a special area called the Ciutat fallera (Falles City). Here, artists and craftspeople work for months to create these amazing structures. They use paper, wax, wood, and polystyrene foam. Some of these falles can be as tall as a five-story building! They feature imaginative figures, often funny caricatures, in surprising poses. Each falla is made under the direction of a neighborhood casal faller. These groups compete to have the best artists and the most amazing monument. There are about 750 of these groups in Valencia, with over 200,000 members. That's a quarter of the city's population!

During Fallas, many people wear traditional costumes from different times in Valencia's history. You'll often hear the dolçaina (a type of oboe) and tabalet (a Valencian drum). Most casals fallers have their own traditional bands.

Even though Fallas is a very old tradition, the ninots can be very modern. For example, in 2005, there were ninots of Shrek and George W. Bush. In 2012, you could see Barack Obama and Lady Gaga as ninots.

Exciting Events During Fallas

La despertà: a band of wind instruments marches through a small street in the early morning.

The crowd gathers in the main square, Valencia, Spain

The five days and nights of Fallas are like one big street party. There are many parades: some historical, some religious, and some funny. Restaurants are full, and people spill out into the streets. You'll hear explosions all day and sometimes at night. Everyone, from kids to older people, throws fireworks and noisemakers. The streets get covered in firework bits. The events happen on the same dates every year.

The Fallas season in Valencia actually starts earlier, from the last Sunday of February, and goes until March 19, which is Saint Joseph's Day.

Opening Night: La Crida

La Crida (The Call) happens on the last Sunday of February. It's held in the evening at the Torres de Serranos, an old city gate. First, there's a fireworks show with lights and music. Then, the City Mayor gives the keys of the city to the Fallera Major (the main Fallas Queen) and her princess. After they give their speeches, officially starting the party, the city band plays the Himne de l'Exposició and Marcha Real. This marks the official start of the festival season.

Wake-Up Call: La Despertà

Every day of Fallas starts at 8:00 am with La Despertà ("the wake-up call"). Brass bands come out from the casals and march down every street, playing lively music. Right behind them are the fallers, throwing big firecrackers in the street as they go.

Falleras during the "replegà"

Falleres in their costumes march with the band

The Loud Mascletà

The Mascletà is a huge, loud show of firecrackers and fireworks. It happens at 2:00 pm every day of the festival. The biggest one is the city's Mascletà in the Plaça de l'Ajuntament (City Hall Square). Here, pyrotechnic experts compete to create the best show. At 2:00 pm, the clock chimes, and the Fallera Major, dressed in her beautiful fallera outfit, calls from the City Hall balcony, Senyor/a pirotècnic/a, pot començar la mascletà! ("Mr./Ms. Pyrotechnic, you may start the Mascletà!"). Then, the show begins!

The Mascletà is very special to the Valencian Community and loved by the local people. Smaller neighborhoods often have their own Mascletàs for special days. There are also nighttime Mascletàs, and sometimes women pyrotechnicians are chosen to compete. These events are shown on TV.

Setting Up: La Plantà

On March 15, all the falles infantils (children's falles) must be completely built. Later that night, all the falles majors (big falles) must also be finished. If they're not, they can't compete!

Once the main City Falles Major is done, there's a fireworks show called Amb de las Falles at City Hall Square. This show honors everyone who worked hard to create these amazing art pieces.

Flower Offering: L'Ofrena de flors

In this event, called the flower offering, each casal faller group brings flowers to the Virgin Mary. She is known as Our Lady of the Forsaken, the main patron saint of Valencia. This happens all day on March 17 and 18. A large statue of the Virgin Mary is then covered with all the beautiful flowers.

Firework Shows: Els Castells and La Nit del Foc

On the nights of March 15, 16, 17, and 18, there are amazing firework displays in the old riverbed area of Valencia. Each night's show gets bigger and better. The last one, on the 18th, is called La Nit del Foc (the Night of Fire). It's truly spectacular!

Fire Parade: Cavalcada del Foc

On the last evening of Fallas, at 7:00 pm on March 19, there's a parade called the Cavalcada del Foc (the Fire Parade). It goes along Colon street and Porta de la Mar square. This parade is a huge celebration of fire, which is a symbol of the festival's spirit. It's a colorful and noisy event with floats, giant moving parts, people in costumes, rockets, gunpowder, street performances, and music.

The Burning: La Cremà

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  Mascletà in Valencia

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  A fallera, during the burning of her falla

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  La cremà, 2002

On the final night of Fallas, around midnight on March 19, all these falles are burned in huge bonfires. This is called La Cremà (the Burning). It's the most exciting part of the whole festival, and it's why the structures are called falles (meaning "torches"). Traditionally, the falla in the main City Hall Square is burned last.

All casals also have a falla infantil (children's falles). These are smaller and don't have satirical themes. They are burned first, at 10:00 pm. The main neighborhood falles are burned closer to midnight. The burning of the falles in the city center often starts even later. For example, in 2005, firefighters waited until 1:30 am to burn a large falla to make sure everyone was safe.

Each falla is filled with fireworks, which are lit first. The structure itself is lit either during or after these fireworks explode. Falles burn very quickly, and you can feel the heat from far away. The heat from the bigger ones can push the crowd back a few meters, even behind safety barriers. In narrow streets, the heat can scorch nearby buildings. Firefighters spray water on the buildings, windows, and signs to stop them from catching fire or melting.

Away from the burning falles, people celebrate in the streets. The whole city feels like a giant outdoor dance party. Instead of music, there's the constant (and sometimes very loud) sound of people throwing fireworks. Many stalls sell snacks like fried porres, churros, and bunyols, as well as roasted chestnuts.

While smaller fallas burn around the city at roughly the same time, the very last falla to be burned is the main one outside the City Hall. People arrive hours early to get a good view. This final falla is burned after the Fallera Major gives the official signal.

Traditional Dressing

The traditional clothes worn by "falleros" (men) have changed over time. They now wear colorful, historic costumes with many decorations. These outfits can be quite expensive. The dresses worn by the "reines falleras" (queens of the festival) and the Royal Court are even more costly. Some female traditional dresses can cost from 2,000 to over 20,000 Euros. They are often incredibly beautiful and are worn with special hairstyles and jewelry.

History of Fallas

Street lighting of Sueca-Literato Azorín in 2017

Saragüells, a traditional Valencian costume for the men

There are different ideas about how the Fallas festival started. One idea is that it began in the Middle Ages. Back then, carpenters would burn old wood and broken items they had saved during winter. They did this to celebrate the start of spring. Valencian carpenters used wooden planks called parots to hang their candles on for light during winter. When spring came, they didn't need them anymore, so they burned them. Over time, the Church decided to make this burning happen on Saint Joseph's Day, who is the patron saint of carpenters.

This tradition grew. People started dressing up the parot to look like a person. They often added features that looked like someone well-known in the neighborhood. To get materials, children would go from house to house asking for una estoreta velleta (an old rug). They would add this to the parot to burn. This became a popular song that children sang while gathering old furniture and items to burn. These parots were the first ninots. As years passed, neighborhoods began to organize the building of the falles. This led to the detailed and complex structures we see today.

Until the early 1900s, falles were tall boxes with three or four wax dolls dressed in fabric. This changed when creators started using cardboard. Today, the biggest falles are made of polystyrene and soft cork. These materials are easy to shape with hot saws. This has allowed artists to create falles that are over 30 meters (about 100 feet) tall!

Children walking in costume of Valencia.

The festival's roots are similar to the Bonfires of Saint John in Alicante. Both came from an old Latin custom of lighting fires to welcome spring. In Valencia, this tradition led to burning collected waste, especially wood, at the end of winter on Saint Joseph's Day. Because Valencians are known for their humor, people naturally started burning figures that made fun of people and events from the past year. The burning symbolized letting go of bad memories or was a funny, often critical, comment on them. The festival became more satirical and ironic. The wooden cast-offs slowly turned into more detailed "monuments" that were designed and painted beforehand.

Start of Fallas 2014

In the early 20th century, especially during the Spanish Civil War, the monuments often criticized the government or the church. Governments tried to ban Fallas many times, but they never succeeded. During the time of Francisco Franco's rule, the festival lost some of its satirical side because of government rules. However, the monuments were one of the few public ways people could express themselves freely in Valencia. During this time, many religious customs, like offering flowers to Mare de Déu dels Desamparats (Our Lady of the Forsaken), became part of the festival. Today, these are important parts of Fallas, even though they weren't part of the original tradition.

When Spain became a democracy again, the critical falles came back. Even some rude or shocking ones appeared. While the festival is very traditional, it includes people from all walks of life. The city uses these old traditions to show its unique identity.

Times Fallas Was Stopped

Throughout its history, the Fallas festival has been stopped six times.

• In 1886, falleros refused to set up monuments. They were protesting a big increase in the fee for placing them on the street.
• In 1896, the festival was canceled two days before it started because of the Spanish–American War.
• In 1937, 1938, and 1939, Fallas was stopped because of the Spanish Civil War. The money meant for Fallas was used to help the war effort.
• On March 10, 2020, the Valencian government decided to stop and postpone Fallas because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was to help stop the virus from spreading. The festival was also canceled in 2021 but returned in 2022.

Secció Especial: The Best Falles

The Secció Especial (Special Section) is a group of the biggest and most famous falles groups in Valencia. In 2007, there were 14 groups in this section. This special class of falles started in 1942. Winning the first prize in the Secció Especial is the most important award any falla can win. All other falles are in different classes (18 classes in 2017), based on how much money was spent on them.

• Recent winners of Secció Especial
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  2006: Nou Campanar

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  2007: Nou Campanar

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  2008: Nou Campanar

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  2009: Nou Campanar

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  2010: Convent Jerusalem-Matemàtic Marzal

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  2011: Convent Jerusalem-Matemàtic Marzal

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  2012: Nou Campanar

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  2013: Convent Jerusalem-Matemàtic Marzal

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  2014: Plaza del Pilar.

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  2015: Plaza del Pilar

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  2016: Cuba-Literato Azorín.

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  2017: L'Antiga de Campanar.

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  2018: Convent Jerusalem-Matemàtic Marzal

See also

In Spanish: Fallas de Valencia para niños

• List of Winners of Sección Especial of Falles

Fallas Gallery

2005

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  View down street

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  Falleres and fallers merrily beating drums

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  Paella being cooked on a wood fire in the middle of the road

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  Falla with painter and fat woman. This was as high as a building.

2008

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  Falla in Nou Campanar

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  The children's falla in carrer Poeta Altet

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  The same falla with fireworks going off

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  The same falla blazing

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  The monumental Egyptian falla, just as the frame of its tallest tower collapses

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  Falla in the Convento de Jerusalén Street

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  Falla in the Pilar's Square

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  Twilight street of Sueca-Literato Azorín

2010

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  Falla Literato Azorín lightning

2017

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  Falla Almirante Cadarso-Conde Altea (5th prize)

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  Falla Na Jordana (7th prize)

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  Falla Convento Jerusalen Matematico Marzal (3rd prize)