La Fallas: The Fiery Festival of Spain
by MairaS on May 7, 2010
in Festivals in March
La Fallas is celebrated in Valencia Spain from March 13-17 to honor the Patron Saint of carpenters, Saint Joseph’s. Having pagan roots, the festival originated in the 18th century and has now evolved into one of the biggest festivals of Spain.
La Fallas is all about dance, music, costumes and fireworks. La Fallas is the Spanish for “the fires”. The main feature of the festival is the making and burning of “nintos” (puppets). The nintos can be papier Mâché or wooden or plaster statues. The theme is mostly satirical and mostly based on current happenings. Most nintos are elaborate works of art which take a whole year in making and cost a fortune.
From the first day of the festival, a daily ritual of releasing Mascleta (smoke bombs) in the air takes place at 2: pm sharp in the town’s main square. The sounds of the exploding smoke bombs is deafening and causes the whole place to vibrate besides enveloping it in grey smoke. Street parties are also a daily affair and the air rings with music.
As the festival reaches its climax, the festivities gain pace; people dress up in their traditional costumes. The women especially look stunning in their brightly colored gowns and elaborate hair accessories. On March 17 and 18 the people march towards the Plaza de la Virgen carrying flowers to honor the Patron Virgin. These flowers are then used to build a giant size image of the virgin.
On the final day of the festival, all the nintos are stuffed with fireworks. Then exactly at midnight they are set on fire; however the nintos voted the best is spared and is placed in the museum with the other winners.
La Fallas is a gala of parades, music and fireworks. It is celebrated with joy, pride and passion.
Top 3 Festivals of August
by MairaS on August 6, 2009
in Festivals in August
Top 3 Festivals of August
Posted in Festivals in August on 06. Aug, 2009
There are plenty of festivals in the world celebrated every August. However, there are only three of them considered as topmost. These festivals are the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland; the Tomatina Festival in Spain; and the Burning Man Festival in America. 
The Edinburgh Festival is a three-week celebration of dance, music, and arts. It is the biggest festival of arts in the world. The finest in dance, theater, music, and opera can be found there.
The Tomatina Festival is held in the small village of Bunol in Valencia, Spain. It is an 11-day celebration filled with various festivities honoring the village’s patron saints, Mare de Deu del Desemparats and Luis Bertran. 
The peak of the festival is the tomato fight which has been a tradition since 1944. It is recommended to wear goggles or snorkeling masks for best visibility while participating in this peak event.
The Burning Man Festival is held a week before Labor Day in August. It usually takes place in Blackrock City in Nevada, though the locations change annually. It is a desert festival of organized chaos with respect for health and safety within the community. During this festival, activities and scenes of gay homosexual affection are public. Participants in the festival often express themselves by walking naked in the dessert. Every year, participants are provided with themes to serve as the focus of the festival.
The Las Fallas Festival at Valencia, Spain
by MairaS on March 19, 2009
in Spanish Festivals
The Las Fallas Festival at Valencia, Spain
For lovers of the Carnival spirit, the Las Fallas Festival offers a heady mix of sights, sound and gastronomical pleasure aplenty. Valencia is one of Spain’s autonomous political regions. It isvery proud of its cultural heritage. The Festival spans twenty days in March not counting the preliminary festivities in February. The main attraction of the Festival is the total abandon with which the people of the Fallas (communities) celebrate the event. Alcoholic drinks are enjoyed liberally. Traditional food items are prepared on the streets and served fresh. Bunyoles, a kind of donuts, baked fresh in abundance and eaten with hot chocolate.
Women and children dress up elaborately for the festive month and give a fairyland look to the city. Each Falla elects its Lady Mayor and Girl Mayor. They assemble and then vote to elect the Queen and Princess for the Festival. There is a grand event of decorating the Virgin with Flowers. A beautiful statue of the Virgin is erected at the “Square of the Virgin (Plaza de Virgin)” and entire communities converge at the Plaza to deck the Virgin with the choicest of flowers. The city is bathed in the heady smell of all the fragrances. Fire works of a wide variety are set off liberally. It is a real mystery to some why the Valencians have such a deep attachment to the deafening noises, despite many citizens losing their hearing faculty! It is my guess that the rich harvests that follow the Festival must have convinced the inhabitants that there is some real link.(The big bangs split atmospheric air and release Nitrogen which later fertilizes the soil.)