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Ninot of the Valencia Fallas
The Fallas of Valencia
By Administrator
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February 27
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Live and study in Spain

Hello #Vivers! The Valencia Fallas are coming! and at Luis Vives Escuela de Español we do not want to miss the opportunity to tell you what this famous and spectacular celebration consists of. Below we explain what Las Fallas are and present some basic vocabulary about these festivals, so that you can discuss it with your classmates in Spanish courses and show off that you know Spanish culture.

 Las Fallas are one of the most popular festivals in Spain. Many of the students in our Spanish courses ask us about them and some even dare to experience them in first person. It is a tradition deeply rooted in the city of Valencia and also in other towns in the Valencian Community. They are celebrated in March, although they officially begin on the last Sunday in February.

Currently, this festival has become a very important tourist attraction, and has been declared of International Tourist Interest. They are also called Josephine festivals or Sant Josep festivals (in Valencian), since they are celebrated in honor of Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters.

The origin of the festival

The origin of the Fallas festival dates back to the ancient tradition of the city's carpenters, who on the eve of the festival of their patron saint, Saint Joseph, burned old junk in front of their workshops, in the streets and public squares. useless along with the wooden contraptions they used to raise the lamps that illuminated them while they worked in the winter months. For this reason, the day of the cremà (the moment in which the "ninots", the Fallas monuments, burn) always coincides with the 19th, the Festival of San José.

The central theme of the festival is the burning of the ninots (marionettes or dolls), which are enormous statues made of papier-mâché, wood, paper mache and plaster. Ninots usually represent satirical scenes and recent events. For example, in recent years a very popular topic has been political corruption and famous Spaniards. The creation of the ninots, which requires a lot of work and can sometimes cost more than €60.000, is usually the responsibility of neighborhood associations and their construction usually lasts an entire year.

As for the name, “Las Fallas” literally means “the flames” in Valencian.

During the Fallas, Valencia transforms into a city dedicated to its party, music and gunpowder. The Fallas are the fire festivals par excellence and the city is dyed the color of flowers and gunpowder to welcome spring and more than a million visitors, who between the music of the bands and the roar of the mascletàs travel through the Fallas monuments.

Some of the most important elements of these holidays


The Fallas of Valencia. He fails. Spanish classes.
Fallera with the typical costume
The Fallas of Valencia. Mascletá.
mascletá
The Fallas of Valencia. Ninots. Spanish classes.
Ninots
The Fallas of Valencia. Fireworks.
Fireworks

In your country is there a similar celebration or one in which fire is the central motif? Do you dare to describe it to us? Tell us in a short essay and attach an image if possible.

Don't forget that to learn Spanish it is very important to learn its culture, the Hispanic culture. In Luis Vives Spanish School We know it and that is why we integrate culture into our Spanish courses. If you want to learn Spanish in Madrid, contact contact with us and we will help you!

The carnival. Spanish classes in Madrid
The Carnival
By Administrator
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February 23
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Learn Spanish

Hello #Vivers! Carnival is approaching, one of the many festivities that students who come to receive Spanish classes in Madrid can enjoy.

Carnivals have become one of the most international festivals, conquering the hearts of people for generations. Its common characteristic is that it is a period of permissiveness and a certain lack of control. Illusion, costumes, colors, paintings, masks, dances, songs, lots of fun and, above all, the Carnival parades. All of this marks the character of the festival, but what is the origin of this traditional festival?

The origins of Carnival

The carnival. Spanish classes in MadridAlthough the true origins of Carnival are still unknown, historians estimate that the first celebrations that would later take the name Carnival took place years before the birth of Christ and have their origins in festivals related to agriculture. It seems that farmers gathered in summer with masked faces and fully painted bodies, around a bonfire, to celebrate the fertility and productivity of the soil, or to ward off evil spirits from the harvest.

The first carnival celebration is located in Egypt. The party was nothing more than dancing, singing, and the participants wore masks and costumes as a symbol of the nonexistence of social classes. Later, the tradition spread to Greece where there was the custom of riding a boat with wheels (carrus navalis) and people danced all kinds of dances, around the 5.000th century BC. Also in Rome, numerous pagan festivals were held around the god. Bacchus, the god of wine, which is more than XNUMX years old.

These ceremonies had one point in common. They were associated with spiritual and astronomical phenomena and natural cycles. Likewise, they were manifested through expressions such as dance, chants, satire, masks and disorder. In a society with so many social differences, the festivals met the need for freedom for everyone. Rich and poor mixed together during the carnival, without recognizing each other under the fabric and masks of the costume.

Carnival Expansion

As a result of the expansion of Christianity, it gained momentum and the festival acquired the name carnival, with the main reason being to say goodbye to eating meat during the time of Lent. The etymology and origin of the word carnival indicates that it comes from the Italian term 'carnevale' and this in turn from the Latin 'carnem levare' whose meaning is carnem (meat) and levare (remove): to remove the meat.

The carnival. Spanish classes in MadridQuickly, the carnival reached Venice, and from there, it spread throughout the world. Little by little, its characteristics were shaped, depending on the customs of each country. Each city incorporated the habits of its culture. But, in general, carnival is defined through masks, costumes, floats, parades and dances, something common in all celebrations, regardless of the place where the Carnival celebration takes place. In fact, currently the Venice carnival is one of the best known in Europe. The tradition began when the nobility began to dress up to go out and mix with the people. The masks are the most important element of this characteristic carnival. Since then, this tradition spread throughout Europe, and later throughout Latin America thanks to Spanish and Portuguese navigators, starting in the XNUMXth century.

Carnival today

One of the places in the world where Carnival is most famous is Brazil. All cities take to the streets to worship Carnival to the rhythm of samba. It is one of the most spectacular parades organized worldwide. According to the Guiness Book of Records, the largest carnival celebration in the world is in Rio de Janeiro. Other internationally famous carnivals are those of Barranquilla in Colombia, Oruro in Bolivia, Venice in Italy, Veracruz and Mazatlán in Mexico, and Cádiz and Tenerife in Spain.

 Above all, carnivals are about fun… a lot of fun!

Text adapted from: www.guiainfantil.com/articulos/celebraciones/carnaval/la-historia-del-carnaval-para-los-ninos

If you are looking for Spanish classes in Madrid to learn to speak Spanish fluently like a native and improve your grammar, stop by. Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!