English
Even though the big day of the famous Fallas of Valencia, on various occasions a finalist in the classification of Intangible World Heritage by UNESCO, is the 19th of March, St Joseph´s day, the events take place long before.
Specifically, Las Fallas open on the 1st of March with a mascletá, some sort of committee that sets off firecrackers, in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento at 2pm sharp. This show will repeat itself every day until the big day, the 19th of March, which culminates with a huge firecracker display that precedes the bonfires of the children´s fallas, first, as a prelude to the big ones later on.
Las Fallas, or the paper-mâché figures, with references to everyday life and news of that year, are set on fire on St Joseph´s Day, and are placed on the 15th.
Fireworks, lighting shows, flower offerings to the Patron Saint, competitions of the fallera mayor (the most beautiful young woman) and the children´s fallas, good music, better food and the joy of the people of Valencia complete the party. Remember to book apartments in Valencia far from all the noise, otherwise you´ll get little rest.
