¡Fallas!

The second after I stepped off the plane from Italy, I noticed that Valencia had changed. In the metro on my way home, I was squeezed tightly between a pair of eager German tourists, a group of teenage girls giddy about being out of school for an entire week, and an elderly man with a disgruntled, tired look on his face. I looked down the length of the train and glimpsed the perfectly coifed shiny black hair of a Fallera, pinned in place for a day of representing the festivities while wearing an ornate and colorful dress. Fallas had begun.

As I broke ground level after surfacing from the belly of the underground, I noticed even more signals of the arrival of this sensory celebration. Children filled the streets, laughing and running with one another. For a split second, I smiled and found this absolutely adorable. The kids were just enjoying the fresh air and each other's company, right? ....No. A child, who couldn't have been more than six years old, pulled out a lime green lighter and lit something in his hand. In exactly four seconds, a ridiculously loud ''BOOM!'' erupted from the tiny paper roll he had thrown to my right.

I have to admit that I jumped a little. Okay, a lot. This must have been hilarious to them because the little devils began happily tossing more and more sound-bombs in my direction. I picked up my pace and hurried past, muttering to myself that I would never let my six-year-old play with fire.

Aside from the petardos (the loud firecrackers), there are many things I loved about Fallas week. One of my favorite parts was the sudden appearance of numerous street stands that offered fried sugary delights such as churros, buñuelos or lanzas served with steamy thick chocolate. Although I could definitely handle having those all year round, my figure would probably suffer drastically. I just had to settle with smelling their sinful scents and tasting their greasy goodness for a short time. I already miss them.

Most importantly, the sudden appearance of numerous elaborate, sometimes gigantic, papier-maché structures was impressive to witness. Here are a few examples, since my explanations would not even begin to do them justice without pictures:

Alas, the entire celebration of Fallas culminates in the Cremà, the night where all the statues erupt into flames and burn away. Most of the structures are parodies of events, people or ideas from the past year. This burning is a very symbolic exchange because it represents a cleansing in order to make room for a new, fresh year. The whole thing seems a bit sad to me with my limited foreign understanding of a festival that has integrated itself into the Valencian community for decades. It's disconcerting to see such beauty displayed for six days and then completely destroyed in a three-minute show of fireworks and flames. Here are a few pictures from this night:

You'll notice that they were taken from a distance. This is because Christy, Abby and I decided to stand at the very front of the line and subsequently found ourselves in a shower of ashes when the HUGE structure burst into flames above us. Needless to say, we high-tailed it out of there. Here are our shocked expressions:

Overall, Fallas was nothing like I'd expected. Aside from the annoying firecrackers and suffocating crowds, I enjoyed watching and taking part in this tradition. Seeing the structures burn and wither into smoke and soot, I felt strangely connected with the community. Witnessing something so spectacular and unusual undoubtedly brings people together. Old or young, three-day tourist or Valencian native, we all experienced the moving power of art and ingenuity.

I've only been back in class for a week and a half since Fallas, but this Thursday is the start of our 12 day vacation for Holy Week. I'm looking forward to spending a week with my Dad in Madrid and then jetting off to London for a few days to meet some girls from my program. Hopefully, I'll also be able to reconnect with a high school friend. With countless decisions and transitions on my mind, it'll be good to have some time to get away.

Buenas noches a todos.