Falles in the catastrophe zone 🔥
It's been less than 5 months since the cold drop storm destroyed many towns and fields of the Valencian Country, with the inaction and disdain of the government, killing 227 people and leaving many without a home, shop, school, etc. and leaving people who had an ordinary life in poverty. Even though the cleaning and reconstruction has advanced, it will still take a long time for these towns to recover.
This week, it's time for the Falles holiday, one of the most celebrated holidays of the year in this part of the Valencian Country. The central element in the festivity are the falles, sculptures built by each association in the town or city that will be burned down. These falles can take months to be built. Some of the falles under construction were destroyed during the storms, and other associations lost their material and headquarters.
Photos taken in the town of Paiporta during this year's falles holiday. On the left, a house. On the right, people watching a parade, taken through a destroyed house.
It wasn't clear whether the holiday would be able to happen this year. At first, it was said that it was cancelled. But, after so much suffering, cancelling this beloved traditional festivity would cause more pain. The 150 falles commissions from the most affected area came together and decided to go forward. After the initial uncertainty, the preparations for the holiday went on.
Many associations have chosen to make a falla that honours the volunteers who came to clean up the mud that covered all the streets and filled the buildings after the storm. For example, this 12-meter-tall falla in made by Convent de Jerusalem group in Paiporta with the text "som" ("we are" in Valencian-Catalan language), the names of the towns affected by the cold drop storm, figures representing the volunteers and figures dressed in the traditional Valencian clothes worn during the falles holiday carrying the cleaning material and with their lower legs covered in mud.
The associations that lost their falles and their headquarters in the storm have had to find easier ways to make one. They have made simple structures with recycled material, and children have helped making the ninots (figures).
"Sols el poble salva el poble" means "Only the people save the people", a common expression of working class solidarity used in the Valencian-Catalan language which has been heard even more deeply since the governments' inaction caused so much needless death and destruction.
This falles have been different from any other that we can remember. But they show the strength and resilience of the Valencian population.
The holiday finished as planned, as always:
With more emotion than ever.
Source: Andreu Esteban for Vilaweb.
