Now many of the frequently sighed complaints byout-of-towners attending foreign festivals and fiestas revolve around these tourists taking themselves too seriously, and being a bit too much on the perfectionist side. Hence the result is anybody’s guess:the incongruity between the outcome of a trip and the intent behind is nearly hilarious, not to mention financially frustrating. Perhaps your Easter, early this year, was not what you pictured it to be or the recent Christmas Eve for that matter. But one never short on incentives when it comes to touring for pleasure and good cheer. Coming up in March is the festival of Fellas, held as always, in the city of Valencia (Spain); and assessing from the increased air traffic to the country, it seems the vintage pageant is still popular with contemporary tastes- maybe even more. March being the host month and peak season by default, book cheap flights toSpain with TravelhouseUK, do the math, and take the flight.
The invocation of spring with the an enraptured festival of some sort is typical offrost-stunnedEuropeans who rejoice at the cyclical vitality and fertility of the year, just as the English Pilgrims have since long been used to paying homage to the relics of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury. Spring delivers itself in Valencia with its entire razzle-dazzle; outstanding firework and public uproar. Every year from March 15 to 19, the festival of Fellas is reincarnated in a pandemonium of festivity and confetti,in remembrance of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia.While many celebrations fail to be expressive in all the right places and where it counts the most, the Falles exhibits all the gestures of a once-popular gala that has aged well. For those already familiar with Spanish/Mexican celebratory, theSpaniards handle all these areas like they handle everything else: with a hard-core mannerism and athrilled sense for theatrics (#Yahoos#). But Las Fellas is pretty hard to contest, much less top.
For all intents and purposes, to get true closure from this Valencian episode, one must play through all the stages of the event.Las Fallas is a spectacle not so easy to describe.But then a review, on its own, is not even supposed to sound the depth ofa phenomenon that has been improvising over centuries and is supposed to be experienced first-hand. Street party, nightlife, bonfire- all seem rolled into one package of complete entertainment!
The day kicks off with a wake-up call (La Despertà). The clock ticks eight in the morning, and bands upon bands of horn players and trumpeters drone through the streets sounding the city’s alarm clock, followed by a feu de joie of firecrackers from the younger lot: a mere prologue to the actual play. Meanwhile the firework rages on, warming the waking city as it reaches onto climax, la Mascletathat is to say. Already the locality is littered with debris and it’s only two in the afternoon. This jam session of smokescreen and commotion will though be a bit on the harsh side but a necessary evil I tell you.As discussed earlier, there is a big bay between the kind of celebration you want an event to be and what it actually turns out to be. Las Fallas is especially for natural worriers and workaholics who need a slightly stronger push to get them outside of their natural comfort zones. Happening upon Valencia at this time of the year, surely those concerns of yours will be buried and forgotten.
While the caricatures are thus being mounted and displayed, another event-within-an-event, which deserves far greater attention than it could receive here, takes place as an offering to the Virgin Mary. The Ofrenda floral offering ensues from dawn to dusk (17-18th of March) and offers a different (read floral) sight to smoky eyes (pun very much intended!)The festival holds the best for the last. Before the falles could be burnt for good at midnight March 19, yet another parade, known as the Cabalgatadel Fuego, graces the spectacle with a hot foreplay of firebrand street performances, brighter costumes and deafening fireworks.Make sure to wipe the smoke off your shields from time to time!
Falles City (Ciutat fallera) is where you are headed to if Las Fallas in general and La Cremà (the burn down) in particular is the reason for your flight to Valencia. Considering the ever-increasing number of craftsmen, the local government has indulged the creative lot by allocating an entire suburban belt to open up their studios and workshops.
Each of the city’s quarters has a prearranged group of participating artisans (aka the Casal faller) who are very much willing to sacrifice their beauty sleep over the construction of caricatured statuettes and brobdingnagiandummies (also called a falla ) shaped after public or political figures which, at the end of the day, are used as satirical devices and therefore torched to their heart’s content.To keep them more flammable (catharsis is best when spontaneous), papier-mâché, wax and at times, even polystyrene is used instead of any durable material.The workmanship is consistent and consistently impressive: ninots are predominantly remarkable. To keep us both on the same page, ninots are massive combustible dolls crafted with skill such as gives animation and expression to an otherwise mute statue- marvels of still life craftsmanship.Spanish versions of matryoshkas and marionettes adorn the cityscape all the more; meanwhile the public’s sense of buoyancy puffs up as these titanic statues are raised at their respective platforms- the pageant is good to go.
La Cremà is the treat for those who have lasted this long in all the mayhem. The urban and the suburban alike set fire to these allegorical lookalikes; the activity serves as a much needed purgative for fermenting souls.The ‘will to imitate’ locals is mostly considered a safe bet with tourists but the ‘will to freely choose’remains yours after all. Traditional costumes can be had from anywhere in the city at this time of the year; and given that each costume has a historical significance of some sort, it is a great way to get intimate with the Valencian culture and history while keeping a sense of fashion at the same time.
When the hurly-burly’s done, follow your instinct as it leads you to the local stalls and food courts. Paela and xurros are not to be missed. Thousands of fans cannot be mistaken, right?
If you too happen to have such feelings bottled up for too long, book bargain flights to Spain, drink a health to freedom of expression and redeem your health, holidays and spirits.
When all has been said and done, it must not be lost sight of that true pleasure lies within. Las Fellas works best just as advertised but like any other event, cannot be a standalone scheme, unless properly complemented from the happiness within.
Summary: Giving you a heads-up on the upcoming Las Fallas in the city of Valencia, Spain.
An event highly, highly recommended!
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