Fallas bonfire festival in Sagunto

Every March Sagunto, in Valencia, celebrates the popular festivities known as the Fallas, in which fire takes pride of place.

Humour, satire and art all play a part in this celebration. The streets are filled with these vast artistic monuments (the 'fallas') made out of wood and cardboard that represent a tongue-in-cheek depiction of current affairs. The festivity consists of a competition to choose the best of these creations. Only the winning sculptures are saved from the flames at the climax of the festivities, the 'cremà', or burning of the 'fallas'. Other key moments in the festivities are the parade –spiced with the typical humour of the 'fallas'–, the 'plantà' or installation of the 'fallas' in the streets, the floral offering to the Virgin of Los Desamparados and the 'mascletás' or daily firework displays.