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Recovering from just one day at Las Fallas this year means that is has taken me nearly 5 days to get this podcast, video, photos etc together. I highly recommend listening to the podcast before you watch the video below, but that may be just a personal preference – I always find it better to let audio work on the imagination before seeing the real thing!
Bits and bobs:
More Fallas photos can be found in our Flickr set
31 dogs go missing (Spanish article) in Las Fallas, scared out of their wits by endless explosions!
Spartan edge has some more great photos and a video of a buning Falla.
Wikipedia has more on the history of the event.
Come and join the discussion in our forum!
¡Bravo! Bien hecho.
Interesting to hear some of the behind the scenes detail. The ofrenda was very impressive even on the TV.
greytop
23 Mar 07 at 2:43 pm
I was in Valencia for the Fallas a few years ago(2003) and watching your video made me experience once again the great feeling of being there. Me and my friends had a blast!
Raymond
23 Mar 07 at 3:08 pm
Excellent podcast! Many thanks!
David in Geneva
24 Mar 07 at 12:05 pm
Glad you all enjoyed it!
Ben
24 Mar 07 at 8:51 pm
Thanks for covering las fallas. You did a great job with both formats, whereas TVE didn’t cover it for a second, at least what was shown in TVE Internacional.
ValenciaSon
26 Mar 07 at 11:45 am
Thanks for the link
Katie L.
28 Mar 07 at 3:44 pm
I think that Valencia and I have finally recovered from Las Fallas. I live in a really loud, loud, extremely loud neighborhood even without Fallas as there are a bunch of nightclubs directly below my apartment. It’s either I pour boiling oil off my balcony or join the mob in the streets until 5 a.m. every day for a week. Throw in endless firecrackers beginning at dawn (called despertí in Valenciano, but I call them something else not fir for print), fireworks, out-of-town guests sleeping in my bed which left me in my crappy guest bed, and it adds up to major sleep deprivation. If it sounds like I’m complaining it’s either because I’m getting old or Valencia went totally insane for a few days. Next year I’ll invest in earplugs. BYOB
leftbanker
28 Mar 07 at 8:52 pm
OOmigod! Las fallas was unbelievable, I was there for 5 hours straight at one point. It was amazing only my husband ditched me for another women and now we are going through a divorce:( So Las fallas turned out being a bad experience for me, ya know. And then my teenage daughter ran off with some drug addict named Sean, and I havent seen her since. I think about her everyday now and I always go to the Las Fallas just hoping she might show up someday. I think I am also pregnant which depresses me even more cause I will be doing this all alone, My parents are dead. But I still keep my head up high each and every single day! I thank god for all the stuff he has given me so thanks for reading this. God Bless you
Rachel
7 May 07 at 10:30 pm
“It’s the fire season….”
Said in the loveliest Spanish/lady voice I’ve ever heard.
Sing something at NFS Marina, maybe some nice traditional Spanish songs….
Joe
9 May 07 at 9:11 pm
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[...] For example, if they want to burn down very very flammable wooden statues in very tight streets, while standing very close, despite the risk that the whole city might catch fire and be destroyed forever, then that’s just fine. It happens in Valencia and is called Las Fallas. [...]
Why Spain Great #3: Citizens still wear the trousers (sometimes) - Notes from Spain: Travel, Living in Spain, Podcasts, Forum and Photos
5 Jul 09 at 10:24 pm
Hier some scary but awesome Fallas moments we witnessed this year:
http://www.holavalencia.net/2009/02/23/desperta-2009-welcome-to-hell-kid/
http://www.holavalencia.net/2009/03/21/street-mascletas-be-warned/
Always wear long pants at these streets Mascletàs and don’t stick fingers in your hear, cover your whole ear in case you think it’s too loud!
Valencia Blog
9 Jul 09 at 3:34 pm