Fallas’ vocabulary

• Casal: it is the meeting point of the “falleros”. Here they eat, drink, dance, laugh and do many activities throughout the year.

 

• Fallas: they are a festivity that go from 15 to 19 March. They have a tradition rooted with the city of Valencia and different populations of the Valencian Community. Officially they begin the last Sunday of February with the act of the Crida.

 

• Fallero/fallera: people who participate in the “fallas” of Valencia and belong to a “comisión fallera”

 

• Comisión fallera: groups of people who support or sponsor a “falla” in a neighborhood of Valencia.

 

• Fallera Mayor: she is a woman and she is the most important person in a “comisión fallera” because she is the biggest representative.

Fallera Mayor Infantil: she is a little girl (she has to have less than fifteen years) and she does the same as the “Fallera Mayor” but with less importance.

 

• Fallera Mayor y Fallera Mayor Infantil de Valencia: in both cases they are a woman and a little girl of a “comisión fallera”, chosen by a jury. Its main function is acting as ambassadors of the “Fallas of Valencia”.

 

• Petardos (firecrackers): it is a pyrotechnic fire article. Usually a tube of a poorly resistant material, made with paper or cardboard, which is filled with gunpowder. When it ignites or touches the ground (it depends of the find of firecracker), it explotes.

 

• “Mascletà”: pyrotechnic action based on noise, with little air fire, focuses on the firecrackers called „Masclets“ that hanging from a rope fall when the wick ignites them and explodes on the ground. All the „Mascletàs“ have the same parts: the groups, the aerial fire and the final earthquake.

 

• Ninots: dolls and structures made of cardboard and plaster, painted by hand.

Ninot indultado: it is a “ninot” that wins the prize and is saved from the flames

 

• “Plantà”: action to place the “ninots”(monumennts) forming the “falla”

 

• “Cremà”: 19th March is San Jose and with this the end of the “Fallas”. That night sets fire to the monuments of cardboard or wood.

 

• Moño fallero (hair bun): women make bunches in their hair using two braids. And in the ears are placed two „rodetes“ formed by a spiral of hair. This hairstyle is complemented with details in gold or silver as the “peinetas”.

 

• Fallero’s suit: formed by trousers and short jacket, both black, white shirt with ruff and sash of color
• Saragüell: Name that received the wide breeches that don’t arrive below the knees and that the farmers of Valencia dresssed.

Formed by the white “saragüell” a blouse, a vest, a girdle, a head scarf, “alpargatas” (thye’re a shoe) and shawl of colors.

 

• Fallera’s suit: women should wear “enaguas”(petticoats), the old underwear. It’s accompanied by a “ahuecador” (hollow) to give flight to the skirt. The skirt is made of cloths with floral prints which are very colorful colors.

At the top, they wear a “corpiño”, usually of the same cloth as the skirt and is accompanied by the “manteletas” (mantles) that are a kind of scarf that covers the shoulders, crosses over the chest and is knotted at the waist.

 

• Carpa: a place that is installed on the street in the Fallera’s week to welcome more “falleros” where different acts are celebrated.

 

• Crida: an event where the highest representative of Valencia invites everyone to come to Valencia.

 

• Buñuelos (fritters): typical sweet of Valencia that you can eat in  the Fallerra’s week

 

• Ofrenda: act where all the valencians pay homage to their patroness. They have to go with the typical suit and give to her a bouquet of fowers.

 

• Castillo de fuegos artificiales (fireworks’ castle): firecrackers that go up to the sky and when that explote give form of palm tree of many colors. And they are always realized at night.

 

• Paella: is a cooking recipe made with rice and other ingredients like chicken, rabbit… whose origin is in the Valencian Community and today is very popular in all Spain and also in other countries.

 

• Chocolatada (chocolate): social event in which drinking chocolate becomes the motor of the meeting. During the Fallera’s week you drink a lot of chocolate every day with the fritters.

 

• “Replegà”: day in which the “falleros” visit the shops of the neighborhood to request economic collaboration.