Las Fias Valencia

Isaac suggested we should be back in Valcenia for this weekend as it is the Grand finale of the Lais Fias which has been running for the last week. Its origin is not anything of particularly significance.

“Just before spring, in the city streets, the guilds stopped working at night and burned in front of each workshop the rustic parot (a wooden device used for lighting). To feed the fire, these artisans accumulated old strips and chips of wood together with old junk collected from the neighbourhood. Afterwards, the parot would be brought to life with rags giving it a human form, with an old hat as the head, and so the Ninot figure was born”

This has morphed in Las Fias Valencia. Party central that runs for several weeks and this weekend the entire central city  (10km diameter) is close to traffic.  Over 600 of these Fias’s many of them 3-5 stories tall will be burnt tonight and the city is jammed packed with people.

What is intriguing is that this is a community driven event. Community groups builds these great effigies, they dress up in a period costumes, have street parties with massive cookups and everybody comes to it. Old and young………..and it goes well into the night past my bed time.

There are bull fight daily, bands marching around town, parades, masses of people and fireworks of epic proportions…. And it just keeps on going.

There are 3 levels of fireworks going off. The big Castilla which go off every night is a 15-30min event, The Mascleta a day street flash bang that last 10min sponsored by local companies that is fenced off and then the kids with their boxes of fireworks letting crackers off day and night, often just right behind you. This is not the place if you have a weak heart.

The smoke the noise I cannot describe except that you feel it more than hear it.

Knowing that they close the inner city to all vehicles where Isaac lives we decided that we would have a better of chance of getting in & finding a park if we arrive early…… but to no avail. We eventually found a park some 5km out near the coast, packed what we needed in back packs and rode into town.

The place was a sea of people across the footpaths and roads and this has continued all weekend all hours of the day. I don’t believe I have ever been in such a large crowd where at best you shuffle along shoulders touching the next person. ……….for kms.

The crowds are in good spirits, often spontaneously bursting into singing, or dancing to the beat of a band doing its stuff. It not just one parade or one band. There are literally 100’s that get together and take to the streets all hours of the day giving an ambiance  words cannot describe.