Valencia’s Fallas Festival: Welcoming Spring with Fire
Alan Taylor
1:45 PM ET
18 Photos
In Focus
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.
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A 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 Read more
Workers prepare ninots, or giant figures, ahead of the traditional Fallas festival, in Valencia, on March 15, 2024. #
Eva Manez / Reuters Read more
People gather around a falla to watch the traditional "Mascleta" (fireworks show) during the Fallas festival on March 16, 2024. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty Read more
People take pictures of colorful ninots during the Fallas festival, on March 19, 2024. #
Burak Akbulut / Anadolu / Getty Read more
Ninots, as part of a falla, are pictured in Valencia on March 16, 2024. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty Read more
A detail of the Falla del Ayuntamiento, seen on March 17, 2024 #
David Aliaga / NurPhoto / Getty Read more
Many ninots appear in a falla in Valencia on March 19, 2024. #
Burak Akbulut / Anadolu / Getty Read more
A ninot is displayed in the streets before being burned during the annual Fallas festival, on March 15, 2024. #
Eva Manez / Reuters Read more
Detail of a falla, seen in Valencia on March 19, 2024. #
Burak Akbulut / Anadolu / Getty Read more
A 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 Read more
A view of Falla del Ayuntamiento, with fireworks erupting overhead on March 19, 2024. #
Burak Akbulut / Anadolu / Getty Read more
A ninot burns during the last day of the Fallas festival, on March 19, 2024. #
Jose Miguel Fernandez / NurPhoto / Getty Read more
Ninots burn on the last night of the Fallas festival, in Valencia. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty Read more
Children dressed in traditional clothing attend the Fallas festival on March 19, 2024. #
Burak Akbulut / Anadolu / Getty Read more
A picture taken on March 19, 2024, shows ninots burning on the last night of the Fallas festival. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty Read more
Fire consumes a ninot during the Fallas festival, in Valencia. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty Read more
Firefighters work during the crema of the Falla del Ayuntamiento, on March 19, 2024, in Valencia. #
Rober Solsona / Europa Press / Getty Read more
Girls 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 Read more
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Valencia’s Fallas Festival: Welcoming Spring with Fire
Valencia’s Fallas Festival: Welcoming Spring with Fire
Valencia’s Fallas Festival: Welcoming Spring with Fire
Alan Taylor 1:45 PM ET 18 Photos In Focus
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.
Read more Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email/span>
A 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 Read more
Workers prepare ninots, or giant figures, ahead of the traditional Fallas festival, in Valencia, on March 15, 2024. #
Eva Manez / Reuters Read more
People gather around a falla to watch the traditional "Mascleta" (fireworks show) during the Fallas festival on March 16, 2024. #
Jose Jordan / AFP / Getty Read more
People take pictures of colorful ninots during the Fallas festival, on March 19, 2024. #
Burak Akbulut / Anadolu / Getty Read more
Ninots, as part of a falla, are pictured in Valencia on March 16, 2024.........