Las Fallas in Valencia
Valencia is a gorgeous city located on the east coast of Spain. It offers a rich historical culture, it is also the birthplace of paella, and it also hosts the festival Las Fallas annually. The celebration is a mixture of tradition, art and satire. Over the years it has evolved a lot and there is an intriguing background to it. You can get to experience this colorful celebration if you do an internship with animafest.
The History of Las Fallas
It all began with the people who would work with wood, called carpenters. There are different legends of how exactly the festival originated. One of them being that during the colder, darker months, carpenters would use scrap pieces of wood in front of their shops, so they have more light to work. Another legend is that carpenters would set fire to wooden pisces on the 19th of March to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Some people believe the two legends are somewhat related. The exact date of the first such occurrence is unknown, however during the second half of the 18th century, the government set laws of the location, in which burning wood is allowed.
The meaning of Las Fallas
It is called Fallas in Spanish, however in Valencian it is written Falles. Both of those are the plural of the word falla. The original meaning of falla is a torch. In the 13th century the world was referring to a fire burned during celebration. Later on, falla was referring to old furniture being burned. Finally in the 18th century, the meaning of the word became “burning dolls”. The word is now also used for the puppets used in the festival Las Fallas.
The Festival Today
During the days of the festival around one million come to and around Valencia to celebrate. The festival actually lasts only five days. This is from the 15th until the 19th of March. However, from the first of March, the festive atmosphere starts to build up. Everyday, a firecracker shows up at 2 o’clock in the afternoon at Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Also from the 15th of March until the 19th, every evening there are fireworks in Valencia. On the 15th of March, huge lifelike puppets start showing up. They usually represent some current ongoing situational characters. They can be up to a few floors high and cranes are needed to move them. Roads are closed for the celebration. On the 19th of March, the dolls are burned. Only one is saved, which is chosen by voting from the people. The puppet is then taken to a museum. During the festive days, there is a lot of food sold on the streets, music and beautiful decorations. To find out more click here.
Internship with Animafest
If you would like to experience festivals such as Las Fallas doing an internship with us is the best option. We offer internships all over Spain. If you are studying Hospitality, Business administration, Linguistics or anything similar our internships are a perfect match. We offer positions such as at Reception in hotels, animation, kitchen, bar\restaurant. The language requirement is B2 in English and B1 in Spanish. We offer full time positions. Accommodation and meals are provided as well as monthly payment. This can vary on the location. You may also be eligible for the Erasmus+ grant. You can find more information about the internships we offer on our website. Some of the many benefits you will get are: improve your teamwork and communication with people from different nations, as well as learn more about their culture. You will also get a better understanding of the industry.
