For hundreds of years, residents of Valencia, Spain, have celebrated the arrival of spring and paid tribute to San Jose, the patron saint of the carpenters’ guild, by building and then ceremonially burning huge monuments made of wood, cardboard, and paper. The monuments, or fallas, consist of ninots, or figures, many of which are caricatures that portray current events and celebrities. The two-week-long festival features parades, fireworks, and fiestas, and ends with the burning of hundreds of fallas, signifying cleansing and renewal.
Valencia’s Fallas Festival: Welcoming Spring with Fire
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![Two large sculptures of doves are consumed by flames.]()
Read moreA view of the burning Falla del Ayuntamiento, a 20-meter-long monument built of wood and cardboard, during the Fallas festival, in Valencia, Spain, on March 19, 2024. The dove figures signify a demand for peace in Gaza and Ukraine. #
Burak Akbulut / Anadolu / Getty -
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![Two people work on a pair of large human sculptures.]()
Read moreWorkers prepare ninots, or giant figures, ahead of the traditional Fallas festival, in Valencia, on March 15, 2024. #
Eva Manez / Reuters -
![A crowd gathers in a city square to look at a large sculpture of two doves.]()
Read morePeople gather around a falla to watch the traditional "Mascleta" (fireworks show) during the Fallas festival on March 16, 2024. #
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![A person takes a photo of a life-size tiger figurine.]()
Read morePeople take pictures of colorful ninots during the Fallas festival, on March 19, 2024. #
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![A group of skeleton figurines dressed in military uniforms from many countries and ages]()
Read moreNinots, as part of a falla, are pictured in Valencia on March 16, 2024. #
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![A close view of a large pair of dove figures]()
Read moreA detail of the Falla del Ayuntamiento, seen on March 17, 2024 #
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![A large installation composed of multiple human and mythical figures in a city square]()
Read moreMany ninots appear in a falla in Valencia on March 19, 2024. #
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![A figurine that looks vaguely like a seated Albert Einstein]()
Read moreA ninot is displayed in the streets before being burned during the annual Fallas festival, on March 15, 2024. #
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![Several large figures of humans, caricatures, and mythical beings]()
Read moreDetail of a falla, seen in Valencia on March 19, 2024. #
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![A person wearing a horned mask carries a staff in a dark street with many fiery sparks in the air beyond them.]()
Read moreA person in costume during the Cavalcada del Foc (Cavalcade of Fire) of the Fallas 2024, on March 19, 2024. The Cavalcada del Foc—a parade with a spectacle of light, fire, and gunpowder that runs through the streets of downtown Valencia—is full of symbols of Valencian heritage, such as fire beasts and other fantastical creatures. #
Jorge Gil / Europa Press / Getty -
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![Fireworks explode above a city square, with two large dove statues in the foreground.]()
Read moreA view of Falla del Ayuntamiento, with fireworks erupting overhead on March 19, 2024. #
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![Fireworks explode beside the head of a large human figurine.]()
Read moreA ninot burns during the last day of the Fallas festival, on March 19, 2024. #
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![Large caricature figurines burn in a city square.]()
Read moreNinots burn on the last night of the Fallas festival, in Valencia. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty -
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![Ten children, dressed in traditional clothing, pose for a photo.]()
Read moreChildren dressed in traditional clothing attend the Fallas festival on March 19, 2024. #
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![Fire consumes a large sculpture made of wood and cardboard.]()
Read moreA picture taken on March 19, 2024, shows ninots burning on the last night of the Fallas festival. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty -
![Fire consumes a human figurine.]()
Read moreFire consumes a ninot during the Fallas festival, in Valencia. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty -
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![Two firefighters hold a hose, spraying water near a large burning sculpture.]()
Read moreFirefighters work during the crema of the Falla del Ayuntamiento, on March 19, 2024, in Valencia. #
Rober Solsona / Europa Press / Getty -
![Three girls wearing traditional clothing embrace beside a pile of ash and glowing embers.]()
Read moreGirls embrace one another beside the glowing ashes of burned giant sculptures on the last day of the Fallas festival, in Valencia, Spain, on March 19, 2024. #
Eva Manez / Reuters
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