Fallas:– “Nit de la Crema” or “Night of the Burnings”
March 19th each year sees the culmination of the fiesta of Fallas, the biggest and most celebrated fiesta in the Valencian region.
Gandía always comes a good second only to Valencia City itself for Fallas celebrations, and this year is no exception. All the effigies are judged by the Fallas committees, and are then set alight in ascending order of merit, starting at midnight and culminating with the winner being burnt, usually sometime towards 2.00 or 3.00am. The fire brigade is always on hand to ensure that surrounding buildings are not in any danger of catching fire from the huge effigies burning nearby.
The town started to come alive from about 9.00 or 10.00pm onwards, with everyone out and about, bands and parades going through the squares and streets, and barbecue restaurants serving local specialities were open in all the main squares. As time went on more and more people appeared, and by the time midnight arrived the streets were jammed with everyone moving from display to display as each one was set alight in turn. Finally, after the winner had burnt down, many of the townsfolk gathered at the top of the main street near the River Serpis bridge, where a disco was in full swing to mark the ending of the celebrations for another year. As always, this is a truly family event with people of all ages from babies in prams to grandparents taking in the party atmosphere. The only requirement seems to be that you enjoy yourself and meet up with your friends who are out in the streets as well, and as always Gandía’s Fallas fiesta was a resounding success.
