Must Do Activities in Valencia

Valencia Festivals

There are two big festivals in Valencia that are being flocked by tourists. These are the La Tomatina Festival that is being celebrated in August in honor of St. Luis Beltran and the Mother of God of the Defenseless and the Las Fallas Festival in March in honor of St. Joseph the patron saint of Valencia.

The La Tomatina Festival is held every year during the month of August in the town of Bunol in Valencia. This started in 1945; there have been stories that could have been possibly the origin of this food fight. Some would say that this started when friends were having a food fight amongst each other; some would say that this started when someone threw a tomato over at someone who’s a bad musician during a parade and some would say that this started when the people attacked a councilman, nobody really knows who started it but this has been a unique festival in Valencia. The La Tomatina festival starts eleven in the morning but before they can start the throwing of the tomatoes. There is a greased pole with a ham on top of it, when the ham has been retrieved on the pole; you know that the festival will start. The throwing of the tomatoes will begin when someone will also fire water cannon after the ham has been retrieved. There will be numerous of trucks filled ripe tomatoes. This will take place at the Plaza del Pueblo. There are rules for this festival, the tomatoes must be crushed before it is being thrown at someone and you can’t bring bottles or anything that might aggravate a serious fight. Some would encourage to you to wear goggles and gloves for safety reasons. The throwing of the tomatoes, will last for an hour. This will end when the water cannon will be fired and the throwing will stop. The fire trucks will hose water all over town after.

The Las Fallas Festival, this is a celebration of the patron saint of Valencia, St. Joseph. The celebration for the feast of St. Joseph lasts for a week. This festival is in honor of their patron saint, there are giant statues that are made of cardboards and paper maches that are to be burned on the last day of the one-week celebration. These statues reflect the current political events of the city and it is filled with fireworks, when the night of the statues that is going to be lighted. The streets are packed and the people will be at their balconies just to witness the burning of the statues and before it starts the people will chant, the lights of the plaza will be turned off, guns will be fired and the burning of the statues will start and fireworks will come out of it. There will be one statue to be spared from the burning; this statue will be displayed at the museum. This is the festival as to what many tourists would say that it is louder than the fourth of July.

There have been lots of tourists that would only go to Valencia for these festivals. These festivals are a must see, these are very different from any other festivals in Spain and there are no other festivals in the world that has the same with these. These are proofs that the Valencian people have a unique way of celebrating the fiestas of their patron saints and although there is no religious significance to it especially the La Tomatina but this is their way of celebrating and it is very unique and no other country have this, this is an authentic Valencian festivals and the best way to experience it to join and be with them.