Video: Festival of fire and dolls: Fallas 2011
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Although the Spanish Inquisition ordered a long life in 1834, people are still being burned on the streets of Valencia every March! And animals! And politicians! In general - everyone who turned up under the hot hand and … made of papier mache … Very colorful and interesting holiday Fallas, somewhat similar to the Russian Maslenitsa - it is at the same time fire festival and puppet festival, and huge ones. In general, there is something to see!
First on this celebration that takes place in the cities of Valencia March 14-19, celebrated the birthday of Saint Joseph. This saint is the patron saint of carpenters, and it was the carpenters who were the first to burn all unnecessary things at the festival, especially old candlesticks (why are they now, when the nights are getting shorter?). And then the Valencians realized that candlesticks are not interesting: it's much more fun to burn huge dolls- stuffed animals from papier-mache (here is Shrovetide). So Fallas became doll festival.
And the dolls are wonderful there. As always, this year at the celebration of Fallas one could see huge characters of modern cartoons, political cartoons (just like at the carnival in Germany), funny birds and animals, palaces and papier-mâché cars. All this is done in a bright and cartoon style. Many dolls are built all year round, and are funded by entire organizations: the price of papier-mâché figures reaches $ 75,000.
But even the most beautiful dolls sooner or later get bored, and therefore the inhabitants of Valencia on the last day festival begin to demand " Fire! More fire!", continuously firing firecrackers and stuffing the dolls with fireworks. First, they choose which huge figure to" have mercy "- determine the most beautiful, and send the" forgiven doll "to the museum.
And then puppet festival instantly (exactly at midnight) turns into fire festival: burn - don't build! Thank God, local bombers (firefighters) this year covered houses and shop windows with new tarpaulins, so that the roofs of the Valencian houses did not catch fire for once. But they could! But this would not have stopped the hot Spaniards: for a good holiday and a roof it is not a pity.
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