The end of winter and the beginning of Spring in Spain is marked by a huge fire festival in Valencia called "Las Fallas" (Las Fa-yas). "Fallas" is the name for paper-maché figurines built each year for the festival. Many of them depict a satirical scene or can be a statement about political situations from the previous year. They range in size from a meter to 20 stories high and can take up a year to make! During the festival, on March 15th, the fallas are brought into the city to be on display and to compete. One of the hundreds is chosen to be saved - all the others are burned in a huge fire at the end of the festival.
The Coon Rapids drumline is playing some familiar spanish-style music this year and wanted to present it in a new way; finding the festival was the perfect fit! We will be taking you through the festivals 6 days of events in 6 minutes!
We start with the "crida", which is the opening statement to start the festival. Included with this is the parade of the "fallas", which is included in the opening statement. After this we take you to a presentation of folkloric show in the Spanish style, moving right into the offering of flowers to the "Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados" (Our Lady of the Forsaken). The show finishes with the "Nit del Foc" (Night of Fire), where the fallas are set on fire in a fascinating spectacle.
Archived Photos
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