Las Fallas: a tradition in Valencia

Satirical aspects of Las Fallas through history
Satirical Las Fallas was meant to show a certain social position. Depicted scenes related to events, individuals or social phenomena were considered by their creators to be on the edge of criticism or ridicule. This led to the ban by the authorities. 

Thus, in 1858 the mobile Falla that openly pointed to social inequality was banned, while Las fallas in 1866 which showed the downside of marriage witnessed a sharp condemnation from the Archbishop. From that time dates the term “erotic fallas” or “anti-marriage tendency”.

During the nineteenth century, the city authorities wanted to prevent making such fallas at all costs, so they used various kinds of repression. That is why they introduced high taxes for all public celebrations and carnivals that practically were means of their prohibition. Fortunately, at the persistence of citizens in defense of their tradition, sculptures were again placed at squares and the whole festival returned under the aegis of the city.

Rivalry
In 1887, a prize was announced for the best Las Fallas. After that great rivalry between the districts appeared. This led to the sculptures increasingly becoming objects of artistic expression. Preference was given for aesthetics, though satirical content had not disappeared.

Almost all local associations and citizens were involved in their promotion and development. There was also a change in the composition of the sculptures, which is held to date. So instead of pyramid statues, today’s fallas are made from several platforms based on the structure used to display the scene, the central part that bears a sculpture and the top. Allegorical sculpture describes a scene shown in its foot that is thematically linked into a single entity. The sculptures were always luxurious and impressive, and moreover they could be seen from great distances. Above all, the competitive spirit forced artists to create more complex parts.

Festival train
In 1927, the first festival train that transported settlers back to Valencia during the festival was organized. The success of this train was unexpectedly huge. Citizens became more committed to this holiday; the number of sculptures grew, just like the number of people who came to see this “miracle”. Today this festival attracts about two million, mostly local visitors. However, the number of sculptures is also impressive. There are close to five hundred fallas of all sizes, set mainly in the city center. The number of sculptures shows the grandeur of the whole project, which makes all Valencia into ”Ciudad Faller”.