During the Fallas celebration, Valencia is light, fire, music.
If you want to discover the essence of the city, you should not miss one of its greatest shows: la mascletà.
You will be able to live in first person the adrenaline of feeling about 5 minutes full of intensity.
But what exactly is it?
Every day at 2:00 p.m. the mascletá begins: all Valencians gather in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to contemplate one of the strongest pyrotechnic shows in history.
Origins of la mascletà
It is a tradition that dates back to the 18th century and has its origins in the tracas that emerged in a small town near Valencia: Almansa.
And what is a traca?
For those who do not know, it is a set of firecrackers or rockets that are linked by a fuse and that explode consecutively.
Then, firecrackers were mounted in the streets and the public participated in them, also in the form of correfocs moving under the explosions and dancing around them.
But it was not until 1945 when what we now know as mascletà was formed: centered on a fixed point, such as the Valencia City Hall and where the people become a mere spectator: you just have to let yourself go.
La mascletà nowadays
Currently, it is not only a pyrotechnic show but it is also a competition.
Every day a different group of pyrotechnics launches la mascletà thus choosing to be the best of the parties. It is a great recognition and pride to win since it is a way of life.
It’s about creating rhythm and color, conveying a message, and making viewers vibrate, surprise, and connect.
As a figure to be highlighted, the mestre de traca is the person responsible for carrying out la mascletà, he is the conductor of the orchestra: he manages to create something harmonious and beautiful from the noise.
The Fallas celebration
Las Fallas is a festival that runs from March 15 to 19 with a tradition rooted in the city of Valencia and different towns in the Valencian Community.
Officially, they begin on the last Sunday of February with the act of the Cridà, which is ″the call″.
Today, this festivity has become a very important tourist attraction, since in addition to being cataloged as a festival of International Tourist Interest, in November 2016 UNESCO inscribed them on its Representative List of the World Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This celebration is also called a festival that is celebrated in honor of San José, patron saint of carpenters, which was a very widespread guild in the city when it began to be celebrated at the end of the 17th century.
Therefore it has remained until today, given the importance of the furniture industry in the region.
Fallas is a whole feeling for falleros.
It is a party in which fun, noise, and the atmosphere of the street are the order of the day.
But what exactly is a Falla?
It is a large monument sculpted from wood and paper with a message, usually full of political and social criticism.
These huge monuments made from materials like paper-mâché, wood, and carbon board reach extravagant heights, and all of them are great displays of art.
If you want to know more about the original Valencian tradition, we leave you this article, do not miss it!: Fallas: a World Intangible Cultural Heritage
