By crstein1
Normally when I travel I’m with other GW students from my program here in Madrid. We usually stay in hostels or hotels and we speak mostly in English. It’s great to travel with my friends and we always have such a great time. Recently, however, I traveled to Valencia for the Las Fallas Festival with my Flamenco teacher, Ana. Ana is absolutely the sweetest person, and she is an amazing dancer, too! My friend Jess (another GW student in my program), and Ana’s friend from Saudi Arabia, Rana, also traveled with us. My experience at Las Fallas and with Ana’s family was a once in a lifetime experience, and most definitely my favorite weekend of my study abroad experience.
I began the weekend by taking a bus with Jess to Valencia. On the bus Jess and I met two British guys and we spent the whole ride chatting about every possible topic. We went out for drinks with them after we got off the bus. It’s amazing how many friends I’ve made from all over the world while traveling. We met up with Ana shortly afterwards and went out to dinner with her friends from home to celebrate her 28th birthday. We ate amazing food and drank lots of wine, and then went out dancing all night long. I loved speaking in Spanish all night and making Spanish friends. The next day we observed the festivities of Las Fallas.
The Las Fallas festival is a much-loved tradition in Valencia which celebrates and honors Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph is a gospel figure and was the husband of the Virgin Mary and the guardian of Jesus. In Spain, Saint Joseph’s day is celebrated as the equivalent of the American Father’s Day. The people of Valencia work all year in preparation of the celebration. Each neighborhood in the city and in the outskirts of the city has a Falla Committee named after that neighborhood. The Committee’s members pay a monthly fee and host fundraising events in order to finance the construction of the famous sculptures, called fallas. ‘Sculpture’ is the best word I can think of to describe the huge structures, but in reality, the word ‘sculpture’ doesn’t adequately describe the fallas. The fallas are beautiful, artistic, monument-like creations composed of vibrant figures in crazy poses, all arranged in gravity-defying architecture. They are created out of paper, wood, wax, and styrofoam. There are over 500 Falla Committees in Valencia and the towns on the outskirts of the city, each which creates its own falla structure. The bigger committees, with more money, construct enormous fallas, which can sometimes tower up to 5 stories high. Each falla has a theme, and is traditionally a satirical commentary on some aspect of politics or society. The fallas are each displayed in the neighborhood of the falla committee. Interestingly enough, at the end of the festival, all of the fallas are set up in flames. The burning of the fallas is the climax of the celebrations.
There were other parts of the festival, including fireworks, parades, and street parties, but viewing the fallas was my favorite part. I’m so impressed by the extravagance of the festival, and by the kindness of the Spanish friends I’ve made.