Everything you ever wanted to know about the Fallas and the keys to enjoy them to the fullest

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Everything is now ready to break records at Valencia's biggest festival, Las Fallas, declared a

by Unesco in 2016. Not surprisingly, it is expected to surpass the success of the 2019 edition, the one prior to the pandemic, which it recorded some

, reaching

For this reason, here are some keys to get to know and get the most out of the celebration (and not die trying).

Origin of the festivities

It all started with

the longer days and the need not to illuminate the work of furniture and ship craftsmen,

.

So, with the arrival of Saint Joseph (patron saint of carpenters), they got used to burning the lucky wooden candlestick (

) tied to a stick that they used to light up in their day to day.

that was no longer needed was added to the pyre

.

Over time, they went through the doors in search of trinkets singing allusive songs.

Then they dressed the

with clothes they found around the house, forming the first

(toys).

Little by little,

began to see who made the biggest mistake.

And so... until now.

Fault making workshop.

Curiosities, figures and records

These days will begin the

(placement) through the streets, avenues and squares of Valencia of around 800 fallas, whose approximate budget is around

Except for official or public ones such as the City Council, each one depends on its own commission that deals with the theme, the commission to the builder, the payment, the plant... Hence, the work

a fallero begins shortly after finishing the parties, around the month of May or June, so that everything is ready for the

following

The expense is equally spread throughout the year.

It must be taken into account that

but also for close to a million, which is what it cost, up to now,

erected in

in 2008. For the most important ones, an average of between 100,000 and 250,000 euros is usually invested.

For this reason, some fallas (this is also the name given to the associations of falleros which, simplifying a lot, would function as a rock with members, and even the place where they meet) manage to get money, either through programs of

(collective financing) or even

This is the case of the one in

, which was released a few years ago with the first method and this one dares with the bidding system.

The classic Ninot exhibition.

The neighborhood of the fallas teachers

Valencia also has its own City of Fallas Artists, where, in addition to a museum about the guild, there are workshops in which the main fallas of the city and surroundings are made.

Like that of

for 47 years, as he himself explains in front of one of the gigantic figures that will soon pass away, that of

.

She is one of the members of the fault that demystifies superheroes like

transforming them into flesh and blood characters.

Read fat, advanced in years, with osteoarthritis, lumbago... Esteve is in charge of the theme, the design, the materials (now, cork; before, with clay molds on wooden frames), the construction... In short , everything, working an average of two and a half months for each failure.

.

Hence, he is also responsible for many of the works that populate spaces such as Parque Warner, Terra Mítica or Disneyland Paris.

"Living on the Fallas is not profitable; it does not provide food. There is a lot of precariousness and the expenses are tremendous. If we continue like this, in a few years there will be no one to dedicate themselves to this. The new generations are not

", he laments in a critical tone. To him, for the moment, yes, for "pure passion". And is he not sorry that his

are burned ? "No, quite the opposite.

It is a satisfaction to see a job well done."

Ximo Esteve, in his workshop in the City of the Fallero Artist.

Where to get a suit (and how much it costs)

It's time to visit an almost hundred-year-old traditional clothing store, such as

built in 1939, just after the Civil War, on San Vicente street to sell, practically exclusively, these products:

veils and mantillas.

A few years later, it would move to Pasaje Ripalda, 18, its current location, which would soon become a benchmark for the Valencian textile industry.

Today, traditional clothing marks the day-to-day of the establishment, which is served on the lower floor and has the premises on the upper floor, where they cannot cope with making

.

Not surprisingly, shortly after finishing the fallas, the orders for the following year's party begin.

"We're only calm in April and May; then we don't stop," Álvaro and Alejandro Moliner, the founder's son and grandson, comment in unison behind the counter.

They do everything:

(the minimum price) to 30,000, with gold inlays included if necessary.

Any especially difficult?

"There is no complicated dress, just a client," adds Álvaro as he recalls

who have passed through his store, such as

herself .

Workshop of the typical clothing store Álvaro Moliner.

love at first ink

The municipal failure of this edition is entitled

, or how to restore normal heart rhythm in people with

.

For this reason, this vital organ is the protagonist of the design, but also the oranges that make us return to our roots and memories of joy.

And the flowers,

, the cuttlefish on the beach, the squid... everything is so Valencian.

Those responsible for the work are the artists Manolo García Lleonart and Marina Puche, who invite you to learn about their creation process at the

(CCCC), scene of the exhibition

, by the illustrator Puche.

In it, there is room for

, drawings, sketches, murals and cut-outs, as well as a retrospective vision of children's fallas.

"Everything, with the aim of reflecting on that

that the author had towards the Fallas and, on the other hand, towards everyday life", as Olaia Pérez and Patricia Chamorro, from the center's Mediation team, point out.

In short, a mixture of "design, illustrations and... glitches".

Exhibition 'Love at first ink', in the Center of Carmen.

On the hunt for the pardoned 'ninot'

Although the most outstanding dates of the Fallas are from March 15 to 19,

.

takes place in front of the Town Hall

, or that famous pyrotechnic shot that makes everything around vibrate.

You can also visit the

at the

of the City of Arts.

gather there until the 15th,

waiting for only two to be pardoned through popular vote.

Then, each of the commissions will collect their corresponding

The saved, for their part, will go to the

in which those who have been saved from the stake since 1934 come together. In addition, it shows how these people are built, how they have been elaborated over time, from the first ones, made of wax, to the current ones,

of Ecological materials.

The changes in the assembly systems are also explained and the graphic evolution of the different party posters year after year is seen.

Interior of the Ninot exhibition.

Waiting for the Nit del Foc

We follow the fallera route with the

de las

(we have already said that there are around 800), which will take place on the 15th (in the case of the children's) and 16th (in general).

The offering to the patron saint of Valencia,

will take place on the next 17 and 18, when different parades will walk throughout the city until they reach the reproduction of the

in the

adorned with a gigantic cloak of flowers

Also on those days, together with the 16th, the prizes obtained for the failures in the different contests will be awarded.

On Saturday 18, in addition, the mythical

at midnight with the classic fireworks display on the Paseo de la Alameda.

Mascletà in the Town Hall.

The hour of the 800 'creamàs'

The big day, of course, is Sunday the 19th, when after the offering of flowers to San José before the image of his bridge (11:00), the mass in his honor in the cathedral (12:00), the City Hall

(

2:00

hours) and the

(fire parade) at 6:00 p.m.,

passing through Colón street, the successive

will arrive .

At 8:00 p.m., the children's (at 9:00 p.m. the municipal one will be burned) and at 10:00 p.m. the rest, ending at 10:30 p.m. with that of the winner of the first prize in the special section

that of the municipal one at 11:00 p.m. of the townhall.

One of the features fails already 'planted'.

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