Las Fallas

Howdy!  So today's going to be short and sweet.  I went to the Museum of the Fallas.  What are the Fallas? Well, that my friend is an excellent question!  Good thing we talked about them in class today before going to the museum. :)

Let's take a few steps back, and talk about partying!  Spain is one big fiesta.  Every year, through the summer months, there are fiestas throughout the pueblos and cities.  You have probably heard of some of these fiestas (for example, San Fermín and running with the bulls in Pamplona).  Well, Valencia's fiesta is known as Las Fallas.

So, I guess I should start with what a falla is...  Basically, the fallas are giant paper maché figures.  They are made by falleras who are commissioned by each neighborhood to build their falla.  Now, I say paper maché, but these things are huge!!  Some are as tall as the 7 story buildings here, and all are more complex than just paper maché.

To make these things, first you start with a design.  The head artist draws a picture of what he plans for the falla (typically it's pretty satirical.  Once it is approved by the neighborhood committee, construction starts.  First, a miniature diagram is made of the falla, with all the colors worked out and the figures made to scale.  Next, they start making molds from plaster at full size.  These molds are made in a variety of ways, with the most complicated ones being sculpted from clay to then become a plaster mold.  For the simpler shapes, the molds are then turned into wooden frames and covered with thin strips of wood (I think poplar if I remember correctly) before finally being covered with newspaper and paste to smooth everything out.  The more complicated pieces are paper mached directly onto the plaster mold, and a wood structure is then built to fit inside of it to hold it up.

These paper maché pieces are then painted with a base coat of paint before being sanded completely smooth.  Only then does the painting start, with all the details being added with care.  This process to build a falla is a year long process, with falleras starting their work the day after the fiesta ends.  And these paper maché figures can be expensive - one cost one million euros ($1334500).

Las Fallas officially run from March 15 through 19, but really this fiesta is a year long process.  While the origins aren't officially known, the most popular theory is that they started because the carpenter guild would burn the lamps they used all winter to work on the eve of the day of San José (San José was their patron saint).  These burnings were symbolic, because they burned away all the troubles of the years and from the fire came new life (much like a phoenix).

Today, the burning of the fallas still has this symbolism, but it also has a lot more celebration.  The festival starts on the last Sunday in February, with the crida.  The crida is a call made by the fallera mayor to all the commissioned falleras, Valencianos, and all the tourists.  The fallera mayor is elected by all the falleras, and there is a bit of pomp and circumstance surrounding it (including a "royal court").  The next thing I should tell you about is called the mascletá.  This happens every single day, from March 1 until March 19, at 2pm on the dot.  At the Plaza de Ayuntamiento, there are fireworks set off.  And I mean lots of them.  This isn't so much to see them (it's two o'clock, the suns out and the lights can't be seen), but rather it's for the noise.  According to my professor, you have to keep your mouth open so your ear drums don't burst - it's that loud!

On March 15 they have what is called la planta.  All of the fallas are set out today (well, really they've been getting set up for awhile now, but they all have to be out by the end of the day).  All the commissioned falleras work hard to make sure these pieces will stand strong through the wind and the rain that could come.  These pieces are not only works of art, but also great engineering feats!  The reason everything has to be set up by the 15th is because on the 16th comes the prizes.  There are various categories with prizes, and the fallas that win the top prizes are the ones most visited by tourists.

The ofrenda is on March 17 and 18.  This tradition was actually started by Franco to give the fiesta a more religious aspect.  All the falleras offer a bouquet of flowers to Our Virgin of the Foresaken (the patroness of Valencia).  The women are all dressed up in traditional outfits, and many say this is one of the most emotional experiences they've had - after working all year on th

eir fallas being able to bring flowers to their patroness.

The fiesta ends with the Calbagata del Fuego (or Cavalcada del Foc in Valenciano) on March 19 (the día de San José).  It's now when they burn the fallas, just like the carpenter guild.  All of the fallas are burned, except for one which is put into the Fallas Museum.  These fires are huge and oftentimes are accompanied by fancy pyrotechnics!  The burning of these fallas represents all of the past year's burdens and the coming of the spring.  And as soon as the fires are out, the fiesta is over and everyone goes to bed.

So like I said, I went to the Fallas Museum today.  And there I saw all sorts of fallas from years past, and a bit on how the fallas are made!  Take a look at my pictures to see what it was like! :)