One of the world’s most unique and impressive fiestas kicks off in Valencia tomorrow. Las Fallas, the five-day festival, features gigantic, sculpted structures of wood, cardboard and papier-mâché, many of which portray topical events and personalities.
After being displayed and paraded around the city, each Falla is set alight as Valencia comes alive with firework displays, musical performances, intricate traditional outfits and artistic lighting.
Known for their satirical qualities, one of this year’s prominent Falla depicts a caricature José Mourinho with his finger in the eye of Tito Villanova, Barcelona’s assistant coach. At the same time, Mourinho rests his foot on the head of Jorge Valdano, the former Real Madrid sporting director.
Lady Gaga is another 2012 Fallas subject, as is an Old Testament-style Steve Jobs, the late Apple CEO clothed in a robe and holding aloft two tablets.
It’s not the first time that Mourinho has inspired a statue – several years ago he was depicted kicking Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola in the crotch. Other football figures recently featured included a giant, vain Cristiano Ronaldo holding aloft a mirror.
Past political subjects have included the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy standing on the Eiffel Tower and a stool to get a kiss from his wife Carla Bruni, and US President Barack Obama depicted as Superman carrying his wife Michelle. Another featured Vladimir Putin holding a violin-playing Dimitri Medvedev puppet.
The tradition originates from the days when Valencia’s carpenters and furniture makers celebrated the onset of spring by clearing out all the offcuts from their workshops and having a communal bonfire in the neighbourhood square.
In addition to the burning of the Fallas, the entire period of the fiesta is awash with firework displays – the most intense of which are the Mascleta. These are like a concert of gunpowder – hundreds of firecrackers exploding simultaneously each day at 2 p.m. in the city’s main square, the Plaza Ayuntamiento.
Throughout the fiesta, Valencia’s streets are adorned with multi-coloured displays of hundreds of garlands of lights, competing for the title of best-decorated street.
The men (falleros) and women (falleras) of the festival each dress in intricate, embroidered traditional outfits. Children are also dressed traditionally.
The queen of the Fallas (Fallera Mayor) leads the celebrations – this year’s Fallera Mayor is Sandra Munoz, a 28-year-old agricultural engineer.