Falla monument

Last updated

A Falla or monumento fallero is an artistic monument, usually large (three to twenty meters in height, sometimes higher) composed of figures called ninots , which typically encircle one or more bigger central figures, called remates. The fallas are placed in the streets during the Falles festival in Valencia (Spain), and in other towns with festivals inspired by it. The monument usually deals with a satirical subject connected with recent news or public controversies, and is covered in posters with words, verses and statements of a humorous nature. The monument is made with combustible materials (cardboard, wood, paper, clothing, expanded polystyrene, etc.) which are then burned in the streets after being on show for a few days.

Contents

Falla in Valencia. Falla del Ayuntamiento Valencia 2007.jpg
Falla in Valencia.

Origin and evolution

In medieval Valencian the word Falla named the torches that were placed on top of watchtowers. This word is derived from Latin Facula, torch. In the Llibre dels feits , it is stated that the troops of King James I of Aragon carried Fallas to light their way.

The material origin of the monumento fallero was burning waste from carpenters and private homes. That is to say, it came from popular festivities and those of local guilds. It was often children who, on the eve of Saint Joseph's festivity, patron saint of the woodworkers guild, made the collection with things such as cattail chairs, old furniture, brooms or grass mats on the eve of Saint Joseph's festivity, patron saint of the woodworkers guild.

In this, the fallas festivity was not very different from the Hogueras de San Juan (for example those in Alicante), which are held throughout Europe or the bonfires of Hogueras de San Antonio also very typical of Valencia too.

The specific quality of the Fallas comes from the fact that it is a festival of particular neighbourhoods in which locals take the opportunity to criticize each other. With the creation of the first, very rudimentary, figures, came the burlesque, satirical posters. These criticisms were often directed at the municipal power, the church or the state.

This first stage of the festivity ranges from its uncertain beginnings to the last decades of the nineteenth century. In those days the ninots were made of waste, paper, wood and cardboard.

It is around the turn of the century when the first ninots with a cloth body and a head and hands made of wax appeared. The creation of these takes a lot more work so we can say that the figure of the fallero artist is born. This period lasts until the 1920s–1930s. There is at this stage a transformation in the festivity, with the appearance of mold cardboard figures.

This technique allowed for the building of higher monuments and it has come down almost to the present day, where it is still used, especially for smaller ninots and fallas of lower budgets. An advantage inside the disadvantage of the mold technique is the possibility of making the same ninot indefinitely. Therefore, the fallas with bigger budgets made original molds every year, which were used by others at a lower price the following years. Finally, from 1990s appeared the technique of expanded polystyrene or Styrofoam. Its lighter weight allows for more height in the monuments, and requires greater innovation in design.

Construction of the figures

As the monuments can be very high (often more than 10 meters), a specific technique has been developed to build them. The step is to prepare a draft and perhaps a scale model which must be approved by the comisión fallera (a committee formed by a group of people who support or finance a falla in a neighborhood of Valencia) who hires the artist.

The structure (scaffold) is constructed of wood and then all materials (cardboard, wax, cloth, etc.) are used. Though years ago they could use wire, currently these materials are prohibited by the Junta Central Fallera (which regulates and coordinates this festivity). Ninots are traditionally constructed from molds, which are usually made of plaster, and are filled with pulp, which are painted after drying.

But today, for convenience and ease of use, new materials are used, such as porespan, resin or fiberglass. These new materials make the monuments lighter and the Falla artists can take risks to create bold and innovative forms.

Criticism of new materials

Many people criticize these new materials, referred to as white cork, since the black smoke they give off during the burning of the monument means the combustion can't be seen clearly. The pollution that these new materials cause has also been criticised in comparison with the supposedly lighter pollution from traditional materials. The Polytechnic University of Valencia carried out a study which seems to prove that, on the contrary, white cork is less polluting than the traditional materials. The student of Fallas Manuel Sanchis Ambrós carried out a study in which he assured that even though the combustion of cork gave off more heat, the combustion of wood and liquid materials used in making a wood structure is clearly more polluting. [1] A few years later (2013), the same university went back to the traditional method of falla making in view of its greater environmental sustainability. [2]

Experimental changes in the Fallas

Ninot in tribute to Manolo Martin Lopez, built in the 2011 Na Jordana monument by his son Manuel Martin Huguet with designs by Sento Llobell. Manolo Martin ninot Na Jordana 2011.JPG
Ninot in tribute to Manolo Martín López, built in the 2011 Na Jordana monument by his son Manuel Martín Huguet with designs by Sento Llobell.

During the 80's, it was, above all, the Valencia City Hall Square Falla—formerly known as the Valencian Community Falla, it's the only one made entirely with public money and so, it doesn't participate in the official competition—that introduced a series of experimental changes. The cartoonist Sento Llobell and the designer Francis Montesinos, who dressed up ninots, collaborated with the artist Manolo Martín. From this period, we recall Fallas such as that which recreated the façade of the Valencia CIty Hall or the crane that excavated the ground, finding thousands of objects. [3]

Parts of a Falla

Although there's not a single method to make a Falla, traditionally it has been divided in the scenes at the bottom representing different situations, usually critical of an event, and bigger dolls making up the central body. Signs with some Valencian rhymes show the broad theme. The remate, which represents the general theme of it, is usually a figure placed on the bigger one standing at the centre of the Falla. The special section Fallas, the most important section, does not follow that exact pattern and usually have more than one remate.

Fallas themes

The themes of the Fallas have changed throughout history. In the beginning, they served to criticize what happened in the neighborhoods or dealt with issues of a very local nature. But, little by little, sometimes in a hidden manner, they started to criticize people who were important locally. Since the Spanish transition to democracy the Fallas have turned to more global topics. Nowadays they criticize political and social issues from each community, national or global point of view. However, there are many Fallas which make use of their satirical purpose in order to criticize banal topics like TV shows, celebrities, etc.

Types

Each Comisión fallera erects a large Falla and a children's one. The latter has small measurements and the ninots are smaller. Similarly, children's Fallas make use of their satirical and ironic nature in a less acute form.

Photography of a children's Falla. Falla infantil Poeta Altet before.jpg
Photography of a children's Falla.

Awards

The Fallas monuments receive different prizes according to the categories of the Fallas and the subject matter. The most valued prize of all categories is the First Prize of all Sections. The most important prizes of each section are the first prize of section, the first one in inventiveness and grace, and the first prize to the alternative Falla. Furthermore, Generalitat Valenciana, Diputación de Valencia, Bonfires of Saint John and Junta Gestora de la Magdalena, as well as other private entities also give their own prizes which often include a sum of money.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valencia Fallas</span> Traditional celebration in Valencia, Spain

The Fallas is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, while the Mascletà, a pyrotechnic spectacle of firecracker detonation and fireworks display, takes place every day from 1 to 19 March. The term Fallas refers to both the celebration and the Falla monuments burnt during the celebration. A number of towns in the Valencian Community have similar celebrations inspired by the original Fallas de Valencia celebration. For example, the bonfires of Alicante or the Fiestas de la Magdalena in Castellón de la Plana. The Fallas festival was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity list on 30 November 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valencia</span> Municipality in Spain

Valencia is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 807,693 inhabitants (2023). It is the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area comprising the neighbouring municipalities has a population of around 1.6 million, constituting one of the major urban areas on the European side of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the banks of the Turia, on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula at the Gulf of Valencia, north of the Albufera lagoon.

The Bonfires of Saint John are a traditional and popular festival celebrated in the city of Alicante, Spain, from 19 to 24 June. The celebration ultimately stems from a tradition of bonfires for Saint John's Eve that can be found in many places, among them the Mediterranean coast of Spain, especially Catalonia and the Valencian Community; in Alicante, it's the official and most important festivity in the city. It was officially declared as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest in 1983 and a Bien de Interés Cultural in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enric Valor i Vives</span> Valencian writer

Enric Valor i Vives was a Valencian narrator and grammarian who made one of the most important contributions to the re-collection and recovery of Valencian lexicography and its standardization in the Valencian Country, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algemesí</span> Municipality in Valencian Community, Spain

Algemesí is a municipality in the comarca of Ribera Alta in the Valencian Community, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aras de los Olmos</span> Municipality in Valencian Community, Spain

Aras de los Olmos is a municipality of Valencia, Spain. Belonging to the province of Valencia, in the region of Los Serranos.

Moncada is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puçol</span> Municipality in Valencian Community, Spain

Puçol is a Spanish municipality located in the province of Valencia, part of the Valencian Community autonomous region. It belongs to the Horta Nord. The municipality borders El Puig south and Sagunt to the north. It has 19,975 inhabitants (01/01/2021), of whom 9,839 are men and 10,136 are women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quart de Poblet</span> Municipality in Valencian Community, Spain

Quart de Poblet is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Oest in the Valencian Community, Spain. It has 25,499 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simat de la Valldigna</span> Municipality in Valencian Community, Spain

Simat de la Valldigna is a municipality in the comarca of Safor in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is 50 km from Valencia, and 20 km from Cullera and Gandia. It is also near Xàtiva and Alzira.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viver</span> Town in Valencian Community, Spain

Viver is a town in the Castellón province of Valencian Community, Spain. It is in the comarca (region) of Alto Palancia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Caguach</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Los Lagos Region, Chile

The Iglesia de Caguach is a Catholic church located on the island of Caguach, in the commune of Quinchao on the Chiloé Archipelago, southern Chile.

Miguel Ángel Martín Bordera is a Spanish artist born in Alicante in Spain on 24 September 1966. He is the founder and current director of the street theater company named Carros de foc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falles of Alzira</span>

The Falles or Fallas of Alzira are a celebration in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the town of Alzira, which, like the Falles in Valencia and other towns of the Valencian Community, takes place in March. Apart from the Fallas in Valencia, those celebrated in Alzira are the most important festival of this type, due to their century-old tradition, their continuing popularity, and the fact that they have the largest number of active participants (fallers), "commissions" and "falla monuments" (falles), seventy of which are erected in the streets of the town. The Falles of Alzira have been declared an Event of National Tourist Interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plantà</span>

The plantá is the act of erecting a Falla or bonfire monument, in the Fallas or the Bonfires of Saint John, festivals held respectively in March and June in different localities of the community of Valencia (Spain).The plantà is currently considered the exact moment when the falla or bonfire is completely finished and ready to be visited, with all its "ninots", posters and a variety of features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torres de Serranos</span>

The Serrans Gate or Serranos Gate, also known as Serrans Towers or Serranos Towers is one of the twelve gates that formed part of the ancient city wall, the Christian Wall, of the city of Valencia, Spain. It was built in Valencian Gothic style at the end of the 14th century. Its name is probably due to its location in the northwest of the old city centre, making it the entry point for the royal road connecting Valencia with the comarca or district of Els Serrans as well as the entry point for the royal road to Barcelona, or because the majority of settlers near there in the time of James I of Aragon were from the area around Teruel, whose inhabitants were often called serrans by the Valencians. Alternatively, the gate may also have been named after an important family, the Serrans, who lived in a street with the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mascletà</span> Pyrotechnics Event

A mascletà is a pyrotechnic event characterized by the achievement of a noisy and rhythmic composition that features, particularly during daytime, in street festivities; it is typical of the Valencian Community (Spain). It gets its name from the masclets that are tied by a wick to form a line or firework display. These are usually fastened at a medium height with ropes or raised by cannons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cremà</span>

The cremà is the act of setting fire to a falla monument, made from materials such as cardboard and wood, during the festivities of several towns in the Valencian community, Spain. A similar celebration is the Bonfires of Saint John from Alicante, also in the Valencian community. In all cases the celebration ends with the burning of the monuments.

The Entrance of the flower is celebrated on 1 February in Torrent, Valencian Community, Spain. The traditional Entrance of the flower is a deep-rooted festivity in the municipality that traces back to the 17th century, in which the clavarios and members of the Confrerie of the Mother of God deliver a branch of the first-blooming almond-tree to the Virgin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lo Rat Penat</span> Valencian cultural society

Lo Rat Penat is a cultural society of the Valencian Community created in 1878 for the teaching, diffusion and preservation of the Valencian language and culture. Its headquarters are located in the city centre of Valencia, and its name refers to the Valencia's heraldic symbol which is a bat.

References