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IN PICS: Valencia’s Las Fallas festival comes to explosive end

Some of the world’s most important figures made an appearance at the Fallas festival in Valencia last week. At the end of the four day festivities, however, the satirical effigies of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-Un, to name a few, were burned down.

Published: 21 March 2018 16:51 CET
IN PICS: Valencia's Las Fallas festival comes to explosive end
A sculpture of President Donald Trump goes up in flames. Photo: AFP

The people of Valencia work year round to create gigantic structures of cardboard that portray current events as well as pop culture and political figures, only to burn them down in what UNESCO calls an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”

Didn’t make it out to Valencia this year? Take a look at the highlights of the celebration below, and make sure to add this surreal festival to your bucket list:

Falla Convento Jerusalen-Matematico Marzal

Photo: Love Valencia

This otherworldly structure took the first place prize of the special selection, the most important prize of the Fallas Festival. The Falla was created by artist Pedro Baenas Garcia.

Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Kim Jong-Un

Photo: Jose Jordan/ AFP

The festival is known for satirical “ninots” that portray popular figures. This one features the three world leaders from Russia, the United States, and North Korea with rockets in their hands and screenshots of their tweets around their feet.

Carles Puigdemont

Photo: Jose Jordan / AFP

The people of Valencia didn’t forget to invite Catalonia’s deposed leader to the festival, who was burned down in the streets of the city with the Catalan independence flag in hand.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Photo: Jose Jordan / AFP

Real Madrid’s superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo stood atop roman ruins and golden soccer trophies as he was burned down on the last night of the Fallas Festival.

Photo: Jose Jordan / AFP

Fantasy characters star alongside politicians and celebrities in the colourful, often grotesque “ninots” — groups of cardboard and polystyrene models built by local artists and placed in the streets.

 

 

Falles de València 2018 #equilibriuniversal

A post shared by C٤ડג‎r D٤l٥ડм٥z٥ડ (@delosmoz) on Mar 19, 2018 at 10:17am PDT

 

 

The festival culminates in a mega firecracker storm on the city's main square is a deafening event known as “the earthquake” followed by an evening of fireworks.

 

 

 

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FESTIVALS

In Pictures: Spain’s Fallas festival returns after pandemic pause

Valencia's Fallas festival wrapped up with fireworks and the burning of colourful sculptures on Sunday after returning to the eastern Spanish city following a pandemic-induced hiatus.

Published: 6 September 2021 09:14 CEST
In Pictures: Spain's Fallas festival returns after pandemic pause
Ninots (cardboard effigies) burn as one installation of the Fallas Festival is set alight in Valencia on September 5, 2021. Photos: José Jordan/AFP

The five-day festival is traditionally held in March but was cancelled last year as the Covid-19 pandemic swept Spain. This year, officials postponed the start of the UNESCO-recognised event until September 1st.

It was the first time that the festival was suspended since the end of Spain’s 1936-39 Civil War.

Each year, residents make hundreds of colourful puppet-like sculptures — some as big as a four-storey building — out of wood, plaster and papier-mache for the festival.

Called “ninots”, the sculptures depict fairytale characters and cartoonish effigies of politicians and celebrities.

One ensemble from this year’s event was inspired by the hit Spanish Netflix series “Money Heist”. It depicted several people wearing red overalls and Salvador Dali face masks like the main characters in the show.

The ninots are displayed in the streets of the Mediterranean city and then burned on the last day of the festival — in a bonfire called the “Cremà” — in a centuries-old tradition honouring St Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.

Fireworks lit up the night sky as this year’s bonfire, which features about 750 sculptures, was held without the thousands of spectators that the event usually draws.

The bonfire was brought forward by two hours to allow festivities to end before a nightly virus curfew came into effect at 1:00 am (2300 GMT).

After much debate a customary flower offering to the Virgin Mary was allowed to proceed — but without people lining the route, as is tradition.

“These are not Fallas as such, more like Fallas-related events that comply with health regulations,” said Valencia mayor Joan Ribo.

The Fallas festival is believed to have originated from pagan rituals marking the end of winter.

The pandemic has forced the cancellation of many of Spain’s most famous fiestas, including Pamplona’s bull-running festival and Seville’s Holy Week processions.

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