Las Fallas 2006

[Steve W]

I went back to Valencia for 2 weeks this year, covering the period of Las Fallas festival. I had a great time and took a bunch of photos which you can see here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stvcr/sets/72057594091097152/).

I'm also sure that I've gone a bit more deaf than I already was after witnessing the mascletá 4or 5 times.

[celia s]

Hi Steve,I really enjoyed your slide show.It must have been such a unique and crazy experience!Are the ninots set on fire at the same time? Also,did you feel the ground shake during the mascleta?I would love to hear more details about the fiesta.

[Steve W]

well, the mascletá was loud! It lasts about 7 minutes and builds to a final huge crescendo which gets louder than you think is possible. I felt the air moving on my face from firecrackers exploding. Next time, I'll bring earplugs. I really do think that it's damaged my hearing.

All week there were kids setting off bangers and one went off very close to my ear, giving me bad tinnitus for the day.

I lived in Valencia for 6 months, so to see the city that I knew all dressed up for fiesta was a strange experience. I felt like half a tourist.

The fallas were all set on fire at roughly the same time. I was at one near a friends apartment, and from there I wandered back across the city to where I was sleeping, taking lots of photos. The bigger fallas had bigger crowds, obviously. I took a bunch of short camera movies, but lost them when my data backup crashed. Oh well.

[Brian]

Wonderful pictures, Steve!

My wife recalled during one Fallas during her childhood when the burning falla fell over to the side, causing people to scamper to avoid being burned.

Supposedly, they are now engineered to collapse inwardly rather than falling over.

[ValenciaSon]

I loved the fallas as a kid. I was my oldest son's age when I last saw them. Describing them to my son was a lot easier with your pictures, Steve. Thanks.:thumbs-up: