I went to the fallas when I was studying  in Madrid in 1996-97 and have been meaning to get back ever since. This is without a doubt one of the most spectacular festivals in all of Spain. Las Fallas are celebrated in the autonomous region of Valencia in mid March. It is a festival that came about form the practice of carpenters who, at the end of the work day, used to put al of the scrap wood out on the street and burn it to get rid of the excess material. Who would have thought that it would come to this. Today, "Falleros" (those who create these magestic works of art) spend almost an entire year planning, designing and sculpting these  statues and they can range from very small to over 24 meters (aprox. 72 feet) in height such as the one that I have brought to you on this page. The Fallas are all burned at midnight on the last night of the festival and this act is considered a purification and the birth of the next years Celebration. The Valencians believe that a Falla is bron to be burned and only the Falla judged best of the year is spared from the flames. The theme for the sculpture is up to the artists and the Falla here was didicated to the inventions of the 20th century (motor vehicles, telephone, computer, etc). Although you can find Fallas in just about any city or town in Valencia, the most impressive ones are in the capital ciity of "Valencia". The following are small images taken from the Slide Show that I have created for you from the live broadcast by Televisión Española on the "NIT DE LA CREMA". If you like what you see, launch my Slide Show by clicking on any of the images, this will start the show but you will need Real Player™" to view it. The Falla burnt here is located in the Plaza of the City Hall and is always the last to go up in smoke. 

The official website on "Las Fallas" is at www.fallas.com , they have a live webcam on the main Falla in the Town Hall Plaza.