..THE FALLAS...!

The Fallas are enormous models made out of papier mache, wood and wax. The models are burnt on the night of 19 March in a festival of fire and fireworks. Fireworks and firecrackers play a big role in this fiesta.Be careful of firecrackers being thrown along the street by youngsters.

The Fallas are divided into seven important stages. The city is adorned in decorations and fallas. During the week the following ceremonies take place: the nomination and proclamation of the Fallas Queens (whose role will last all year), the Exaltation, the Crida, the Cavalcade of the Ninot, the Offering of Flowers, the Planta and the Cremá.

The Crema is when the models of the Fallas are burned. For some it is the saddest moment, while for others it is the highest point of the festival. The Fallas are lit on the night of St. Joseph, 19th March.

The last ones to be burnt are the fallas which have won prizes for the best ones. One "ninot" is saved each year, from the flames by popular vote, and exhibited in the Museum of the Ninot. When at about midnight Valencia goes up in flames as more than three hundred fires are burnt throughout the city, the spectacle is as awesome as it is unforgettable.