Las Fallas - Part I

Las Fallas : a traditional party in Valencia celebrated between 15.3. - 19.3.
mascletà : a Valencian fireworks display focusing on making loud noise

Today I went to see one of the mascletàs in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento. There has been a show every day for the last two weeks. Every barrio (part of town) has their own group competing who makes the best mascletà. So every day at 2pm the main square is filled with thousands of valencians and tourists who have reserved the best hotel rooms (with good balconies) many months beforehand. A tall cage has been built in the center of the plaza, and in this closed area the noise-specialists arrange their firecrackers and bombs.

Every mascletà follows about the same pattern, first there are the opening shots that tell the audience what is about to begin. Then follows series of different bombs that get louder each time. The final part of the show is always something that looks like a firework factory in flames. The whizzles and booms hit your ears really hard, and first-timers feel like putting hands on their ears. After the noise only thick smoke is left behind.






Right next to the mascletà cage there are already some fallas. Some of them aren't yet fully put together but it looks like they can be really big.