The opening of the Fallas Festivities starts tonight with the Cridà, in which the mayor of the city, Rita Barberá and the 2009 Fallera Mayores, Marta Reglero and Inmaculada Escudero will stand on top of the Serranos Towers and invite Valencians to enjoy the celebrations.
But really, the celebrations started on February 10th when the Ninots, exhibition was opened 
in the Nuevo Centro esplanade. The favourite ninot will escape being burnt at the Cremà and become part of the Fallero Museum as a ninot indultat (saved ninot).
From March 1st through to the 19th, at 2 pm, in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, they stage mascletaes. Mascletas are pyrotechnical extravaganzas composed of a series of fire crackers (masclets) that explode according to a certain rhythm ending with a spectacular explosion.
After midnight, on March 15th, the plantà officially begins and all the Fallas monuments can be seen in the streets.
Between the 17th and 18th, the traditional flower offerings to the Virgen de los 
Desamparados will be made.
Thousands of Valencians will gather to offer flowers to the "Cheperudeta", the Virgin's popular name. All the Fallero Comissions will march dressed up in traditional costumes accompanied by musical bands towards an enormous reproduction of the Virgin located in front of the Basilica (where the original figure stands). The Falleras will leave their flowers which are used to create a colourful shawl for the figure of the Virgin. The last one to make a floral offering will be the Fallera Mayor of Valencia.
On March 19th, the Cremà will take place. It's the moment in which the Fallas monuments will be burnt and transformed into ashes. It is the high point of the festivity as well as the saddest because it's the end of Fallas.
Those of you with terrestrial Spanish TV will be able to watch all this on the local stations.
Fallera Mayor and Fallera Mayor Infantile
No comments:
Post a Comment