"Ooo, that one would be fun to watch burn!"
In mid March, the city of Valencia turns into a huge block party. Streets in the old center become pedestrian-only as neighborhood-based groups of artists and fundraisers finally mount the Fallas structures they have been working on throughout the year, paellas are cooked in the middle of the street, fire crackers snap left and right and light-bulb-lined churros trucks dot every major plaza and street corner. This is the celebration of San José, patron saint of carpenters, and perhaps of pyromaniacs too. At 14:00 every afternoon from the 15th to the 19th, hundreds of people cram into the square before town hall and overflow into the side streets to watch and hear the mascletá fireworks show…an awesome display of fireworks, moreso because it's in the center of the city than anything else. And at midnight, more fireworks. And then on the 20th, all but one of the cardboard and polystyrene neighborhood Fallas structures are burned right where they stand in plazas, intersections, street corners, and in tiny little alleys, as firefighters constantly spray the surrounding area and buildings with water.
1 Comment
Wendy H
26/3/2013 04:55:10 am
Wow! I wonder how many fires start because of the celebration, despite the fire fighters' best intentions! I can't think burning polystyrene would be so good for air quality…Thanks for the video!!
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yes blog is currently 'archived'yes blog started when I moved from the States to Spain in 2012 and documented the results of saying 'yes' - to the people and learning opportunities - that came my way. Archives
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