The Fallas pamphlet I got from the ninots exhibition a few weeks ago is getting a bit dog-eared — I had been referring to it daily during the festival to figure out where we needed to go. I decided to re-read the intro text to see if my Spanish had improved during Fallas, and the phrase “un placer para los sentidos” caught my eye — “a pleasure for the senses.”
This is the sort of thing that would make me roll my eyes in English, but it does feel like the perfect way to sum up Fallas. Maybe it just doesn’t sound as corny because I speak Spanish like a toddler — a hidden perk to being a new language learner.
I first learned about Fallas from my friend Mary, who lived in Spain for a few years and who mentioned it briefly in this essay she wrote. Between Mary’s writing and our conversations with friends and neighbors leading up to the festival, I thought I knew what to expect: fire, music, fireworks, et cetera. But I was totally unprepared for the way it engages all of your senses. Mary mentions in her essay that people cry during Fallas, and I get it now. It’s joyful, exuberant, intense, and overwhelming all at the same time.
“El sentido” really is a perfect translation of “sense,” since it also works for things like “common sense” — “sentido común” — or “what’s the sense in that?” — “¿qué sentido tiene?” Or you can be “sin sentido,” like the drunk guy at the ATM who inserted his debit card and immediately ran to go take a piss on a tree.
Aside from that guy touching the ATM keypad with his peepee hands, Fallas really was “un placer para los sentidos.” Sight is obvious — enormous colorful fallas, dazzling fireworks and light installations, the intricate silk dresses worn by falleras. Sound is too, but louder than you think — booming explosions, pops and crackling, drums and brass from the city’s 700(!) marching bands, and eurodance hits blasting from outdoor parties, called discomóviles.
What took me off guard was how tactile everything is. The pavement rumbles under your feet during a mascletà. You feel explosions inside your body, like standing next to the speakers at a concert. The windows tremble in their frames, and your dog who hates being cuddled comes and shivers in your lap. And the heat from burning an effigy is wild — you feel the skin on your face get tight, like you might start cooking if you stood still too long.
I was delighted when we walked towards the ofrenda, the flower offering, and smelled roses in the air. I called bullshit when I saw the ofrenda described as “an olfactory experience,” but the sheer volume of flowers carried by the falleras really does scent the plaza and the surrounding blocks. It’s a sweet and refreshing contrast to the more dominant smells of gunpowder and smoke. We didn’t get the chance to eat paella, but we did get our fill of pumpkin and fig buñuelos, sugar-coated churros, and thick hot chocolate. We also drank a street caipirinha made with pineapple Fanta, which was just as horrible as it sounds.
In the spirit of engaging the senses, I recorded a bunch of video clips and made my first vlog! Hopefully it conveys a little bit of the feeling of Fallas.
Song of the Week:
After a loud three weeks, Brian and I were shocked by how quiet Valencia got on March 20. We’ve been enjoying the more normal volume, and Helado Negro’s poetic ambient pop has been the perfect balm as I recover from my lack of sleep.
Hasta luego,
— Kata
Loved the vlog! Thanks for sharing. I feel like this time next year I should come visit, lol. Speaking of senses, this won't help you with your Spanish, but the Vox podcast Unexplainable has released some episodes about the 6 senses if you are interested. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/22947671/the-five-senses-touch-hearing-taste-smell-podcast-explainers