Thursday, April 19, 2007

Fallas


Fallas are a Valencian tradition which celebrates Saint Joseph's Day (19 March) in Valencia, Spain. The term Fallas refers to both the celebration and the mounuments created during the celebration. The city has an organized groups of people that works all year long holding fundraising parties and dinners. There are a few different theories regarding the origin of the Fallas. The Fallas started in the Middle Ages, when artisans put out their broken artifacts and pieces of wood that they sorted during the winter then burnt them to celebrate the spring equinox. With the coming of the Spring, they were no longer necessary, so they were burned. With time, and the intervention of the Church, the date of the burning of these parots was made to coincide with the celebration of the festival of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the carpenters.

No comments: