Valencia 102 — Traditions

One of the Valencian festivals that I remember most from my time studying there was Las Falles.  It’s a two week-long festival that commemorates Saint Joseph, although I mostly just remember it as time to stay out late, eat free paella from neighborhood pans (we each carried around our own spoon), the monuments built for Las Falles, and the end of celebration fires.  Las Falles refers both to the celebration itself as well as to the monuments that are constructed (and later burnt) for the celebration.  The Falles are built around that year’s theme and consist of Ninots (figures).  Each year a committee recommends a set number of Ninots to be saved from the fires.  The one(s) actually saved are those that receive the most votes from the public.  Bob and I visited the museum that houses the saved Ninots and provides an overview of the festival.

One free museum that we happened upon on our walk around Old a town one day was The Corpus Museum also known as The House of the Rocks.  This building was bought by the Valencia City Council in 1446 to house the ceremonial carts (rocks) used in the city’s annual Corpus Christi festivities.  The festivities take place on the Sunday closest to the 60th day following Easter (per papal instructions from the XIII century).  The carts are Valencia’s emblem of their celebration.  There are currently 11 rocks that have been elaborately crafted over many years, with the oldest completed in 1512 and the newest in 2001. They are brought out of the museum for viewing on the Friday night before the official celebration.  The Sunday festivities consist of thrwe different parades throughout the day on Sunday.