This is a youtube video of a parade in downtown Valencia, Saturday March 6, 2010
The crowds are large and lively. The bands are all playing the same song in all the marches, we do not know the title.
Earlier in the day we went to another event at a firestation. There were demonstrations of dog handling, including a course where they had to climb a regular ladder about 7′ tall, walk through a tube then across another ladder, this one horizontal, which would seem to be very difficult for a dog to do but they had no problem.
The fireman gave rides on their tall booms reaching to a height of about 8 stories. A fireman repelled from that height and another was going to repel from the 6 story practice building but had problems with his line.
Then there was yet another set of fireworks, again mostly for the noise. The shock waves hit you full front and make your jacket compress a bit with each boom.
Today (Sunday) there were parades in our part of town, really competitions amongst the various falles who showed off their exhibits. They mostly had to do with traditional activities like farming and fishing. There was a Saint Vincent float (all these are really small scaled and mostly done with children) as well. The teenage boy had on a monk’s suit and a bald spot on the back of his head. I could have lent him mine!
A few days ago we watched this parade on St Vincent Martir:
Fallas opened yesterday with two short ceremonies.
At 1 pm, several of the city bands converged on the Plaza de la Reina (5 minutes from our apartment) and walked down to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where they played the Valencian anthem en masse. At 2 pm occurred the first mezcleta, which is (guess what?) a giant firecracker send-up. Actually, some of the firecrackers are very large sparklers that trail colored smoke, so there is something to watch as well as to listen to. Valencianos wait for the “tremoloterre”, or earthquake, a moment that occurs where the noise is so loud that the ground shakes!! Pretty cool, actually. The noise is not high-pitched, so it didn’t really hurt my ears.
At night, the official opening ceremony was held at the Torres de Serrano (1 minute from our apartment). High on the towers a platform had been erected, where the adult and child Fallas queens and their courts, as well as other high muckety mucks were standing. After a couple of short speeches, one by the queen, a beautiful set of (wait for it…..) FIREWORKS was presented. Only about 5-6 minutes, but spectacular. Not to mention directly over our heads, like giant umbrellas.
Nothing occurs until next Saturday except for the daily mezcleta at2 pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamento. However, as one walks around the old quarter, one can see glimpses of the various fallas being built. I’ve been wondering how they manage to get these 60-foot high constructions through the streets, but it appears they don’t have to. They build the pieces (ninots) separately.
Next Saturday, at 10:30 pm there is a big parade where the ninots are carried to the Plaza del Ayuntamento. They will be on display there until the 15th, when they will be moved to the various assembly locations. More on that later.
As far as I have been able to determine, all the Fallas are set up in the old town. Good for us, as we can see them all very easily. I don’t remember if I have sent you any photos of earlier prize-winning ninots. All are burned on the last night of Fallas except for the “People’s Choice” ninots, one each in the adult and children’s categories. Attached are photos of a couple of past winners.
Last week we went to a mall nearby to look for shoes for Gary. We accidently stumbled upon the models of this year’s children’s fallas. People were voting on which one they liked the best. Close to the end of the festival, this year’s escapees from the fire wll be announced.
We have attended many Fallas’ so it is time to explain what the Fallas is about.
The Falles (in Valencian) or Fallas (Spanish) is a celebration originally in praise of Joseph, the husband of Mary, but that was back in the middle of the 19th century. It has grown into quite the bash, attracting hordes of tourists each year. It is an annual event, always from March 1 through March 19. Fallas centers around ‘casals’ which are neighborhood organizations, numbering close to 1000 in the city. These organizations produce the sculptures such as the one below. Each year the Falles are burned and they do new ones each year.
Falla under construction in Rusafa, 2016
other than the one at city hall (Ayuntamiento), for which the city pays. These sculptures are up to 25 meters in height and these days are made mostly from foam over wood frames, although some are still made with wood slats. They have multiple characters or elements to them, not just a single statue. They often express satirical themes, frequently annotated in Valenciano.
There are street celebrations galore, with mascletas (huge fireworks more noise and rumble than visual) each day at 2 pm attended by tens of thousands at the Ayuntamiento. There are also night fireworks (see video below), which are mighty impressive displays. The casals erect large tents and party away, cooking paealla on the street over wood fires. Some 800000 visitors, many coming during the peak between March 12 and 19, stream through the neighborhoods to see the fallas’ and the huge, glamorous sound and light show in the Rusafa neighborhood.
Crews of artists and craftsmen take several months to create the fallas. They use paper, wax, wood, Styrofoam and other materials. The satirized figures are outrageously presented, often in positions that seem to defy the law of gravity.
Falles refers to both the festival and the sculptures made for the celebration. While much of the to do is about these and the fireworks, there is also the selection of a Queen of Fallas, called the Fallera Mayor, and the Fallera Infantil (a teenager), as well as lots of partying in a very family friendly atmosphere, with street food galore, notably buñelos, a deep fried item made from pumpkins.
Each neighborhood has a Casal faller, a group that raises funds, often lunches featuring paella. Each make a falla (sculpture) which is burned at the end of the festival. The fallas and ninots (smaller statues) bear themes developed individually by the casal fallers each year, often satirizing various public figures, both Spanish and otherwise.
Marching musicians play traditional instruments. One is called a dolcaina, which is a small horn with a medieval sound to it. It is in the oboe family. They also play a drum called a tabalet. Most of the fallers have their own band.
There are processions too, both historical and religious. The main procession involves thousands of falleras attired in their complex and expensive gowns (especially the ones made of silk) and often accompanied by a man or children also traditionally attired.
Our friend Nuria in her fallera dress
Bands are interspersed. The women bear flowers which are placed on a huge- 25 meters in height- statue of Mary carrying Jesus and two children are at her knees, representing the children killed by Herod and the forsaken in general. She is called La Virgen de los Desemperados (the disempowered). Each year they put up a new design.
The streets are littered with the debris of firecrackers called bangers because they have no fuse but explode upon contact with the ground. Each day starts very early with bands activating the Desperta, the wake up call at 5 am. Since no one has slept much, why would they want to do this? Well, they do.
The last night, March 19, is called in Valeniano La Nit del Foc, the night of fire. Some 800 fires are lit, consuming the fabulous fallas– the city is alight during the ‘crema.’ The next morning it’s as if nothing had happened on the streets of Valencia for the past three weeks.
Fallas is one of the wonders of the world! Do come for a visit!
This is a video of the Plaza del Ayuntamiento taken from the Realto, which shows second run movies and also live theatre productions. They have a fabulous location, as you can see.
If the video does not play the first time, try again. Following the link from the email it took three tries before it played. Not sure why this happens. I can email it to you. It is only 7 megs or so. I compressed it into an avi. To play a copy I email, you will need the codecs, if you don’t have them already. To do so I suggest you download VLC media player. Search for VLC and choose your platform, Linux, Windows, or Mac. It is an excellent player. I use it for everything. It is free and it includes codecs for everything I have ever played.
Some of these are identified by the placards I photographed. Some, such as the Cathedral where there are several shots from both the Plaza de la Virgen and Plaza de la Reina- it is a very large building and faces both plazas. (PicLenses does not appear to be working. If you click on a photo you should be able to view the slides one by one)
We have been going to intercambios Spanish-English here and meeting some interesting people. It happens in a bar run by an American and he makes a few beers of his own and likes to support intercambios. Last night we met a group of IT people. Their English was not bad, they all have jobs and read English a lot, but they do not get much chance to speak.
Getting to meet some locals is always interesting. You learn how they live, what kind of work they do, what problems they have with family or job and so on. They also are an excellent source of local knowledge. Last night we were talking about the Fallas. This is an annual celebration that has been going on for the last 100 years or so. It is notable for the large floats, firecrackers in abundance, firework displays and very crowded streets. Locals who have been here more than a few years generally leave town at that time if they can. We will be here and see it for the first and probably only time. In fact we will be living in the middle of it and ‘enjoying’ the fireworks until well into the wee hours. From our terrace we might have some interesting views.
Valencia is divided 20 zones. We have mostly been exploring the Ciuta Vella, ‘Old City’ in Valenciano, a smallish area crammed with attractive and narrow streets.
Valencia was founded by the Romans in 187 BCE. There is an excellent exhibit of ruins near what was the Forum. One of the things the exhibitors did was to paint extensions of the roadways at the end of the roadbeds that remain. They show the buildings along these roads, which were the main thorough fares- one of them still is. This gives you a good sense of how the current layout relates to the original.
Valencia was destroyed during a civil war in the 2nd century CE, later rebuilt, destroyed again in the Moorish era by the Christians, and rebuilt yet again. There is a good short write up at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencia,_Spain.
The current layout is predominantly medieval, from which the chaotic, maze-like arrangements derive. Of course this arrangement makes it difficult to navigate but more more mysterious, with a surprise around every corner for the newly arrived visitor.
Near our place is the Plaza de la Virgen. This large plaza houses the Catedral (13th-15th century), whose main entrance is on the Plaza de la Reina (Queen), but you can enter here and not pay. The main entrance requires an entrance fee to see things you can not see otherwise. It is a magnificent structure which might be on the site of the Roman temple to Diana. Prior to the 13th century it was the site of a mosque.
From our house it is about a 10 minute walk to the Mercado Central, a wonderful place to shop. This is deserving of further discourse but more of that anon. To get there you go south but of course you run into buildings if you don’t stick to the streets, so you have to wind your way there. It is easy to miss the market- you get there faster than you think which means you are farther south than you want to be.
Shops, bars and restaurants line many of the streets, housing, with who knows what else sprinkled in. Some small back streets are more exclusively residential. Many of the buildings are 18th – early 20th century, some handsomely restored, others awaiting the next boom. Here is a typical residential street:
I’ll continue this exploration of Valencia in coming posts.
We arrived on a Thursday and by Sunday we found a neat apartment in the old section of Valencia. It? near the Serrano Towers, dating to the 15th century and which were once part of the town wall. There is a view of the towers from the roof we can access. There are two bedrooms, so there is room for friends who plan to come. From the living room you look over a small courtyard which feeds into the network of mostly small, narrow streets that extends about a kilometer to the south. A short alley away there is a major pedestrian zone leading to the Plaza de la Virgen. A more charming location would be hard to find, if you are a fan of Roman era towns. Our landlady lives downstairs, her daughter upstairs and her son in the ‘finca’ (here it means a building) next door. We connect to his router. Getting cable internet installed here is a bit complicated so we give him 20 euros and we have a good connection. The Central Market is about 15 minutes. It is in a large domed building built early in the 20th The Central Market century, decorated with mosaics. Fruits, vegetables, olives, cheese, nuts, pork, beef, fish and more are available from the many vendors. It looks to me like one of best markets to shop in Europe, comparable to the one in Barcelona and the one we shopped in Madrid. You can get most everything here and the prices seem reasonable. For basic goods you can not get in the market there are a number of reasonably priced supermarkets a short walk across what once was the river, which was diverted to another channel after a major flood, in the 1950’s I think it was. It is now a garden and soccer field and I don’t know what else, sunken well below grade. The Corte Ingles is a short bus ride. It is Spain’s only department store. It’s upscale. We bought a great kitchen knife from them 12 years ago and it is still in fabulous shape. You might find grocery items there that you might not find elsewhere.
Valencia is where El Cid (meaning’Master, ‘from the Arabic ‘sidi,’) served as mayor. Valencia is known not just for its old quarter, Ciutat Vella in Valenciano, but also for its fabulous new science museums whose swooping architecture offers as much contrast to the old town as, say, hip hop does to flamenco.
The seemingly short flight from JFK, preceded by the dash through the snow from the white snows of our little Pennsylvania town, took us to Madrid’s new airport additions. From there it is about an hour by plane or a few more by train to Valencia’s own modernity, followed by a subway ride to downtown. We turned the wrong way out of the metro but we asked a fellow pedestrian and soon we were on the right track. With two back packs, one hanging from the front the other from the back, I could not walk too much farther and in fact had to rest a few times. With all that stuff and my warm coat, I weighed about 75 pounds more than normal.
We knew Ximo from our time in Florida. He was getting extra training in electrical engineering at the University of Florida and in fact helped us move once. We’d met him at international folk dance event, which we attended most Friday nights. Valencia’s his home town and after a night at a hotel and the following day some visits to apartments, we went to his parent’s house to stay until we found a place.
They live just a hair outside the periphery, a short bus ride you pay for with a card charged up at a ‘stanco’ also called a Tabac. Their house is tall and skinny. She is the opposite, short and not, but he is almost my height. We practiced our ‘vostros’ with them (I shall explain later), and find them fairly easy to understand. Besides they are friendly and welcoming. They even have internet in the house. My how modern Spain has become.
And also how expensive compared to our last visit. That was in 1998. We lived in Madrid. A lunch in an every day place cost around $5.00 then. During our first day and a half we ate out every meal and the minimum is around $10.00. This includes a first and second plate, a desert and a glass of wine. Compared to Paris, say, it is a lot of food, but not much cheaper.
One night they made a rabbit and chicken paella, with green beans, large white beans, baby artichokes and red peppers. I’d had two paellas for lunch our first day and a half here. This was much better than what I was served in one of the restaurants and at least as good as in the more expensive place. They cooked it on their patio on a huge gas burner using a large paella pan. In technique she does not differ from anything I have read or done.
We sat at the kitchen table, eating right out of the pan, which is the custom when it comes to paella. I got in trouble for eating the burnt part, but otherwise, it was a lot of fun. We hope to see them again.
