The cremà (

Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...

for "burning") is the act of setting fire to a falla monument, made from materials such as cardboard and wood, during the festivities of several towns in the

Valencian community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. A similar celebration is the Bonfires of Saint John from

Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...

, also in the Valencian community. In all cases the celebration ends with the burning of the monuments. In the city of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, where this kind of celebration originated, the cremà of each falla is held on the night of

Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...

's Day, 19 March. It consists in burning the monuments erected on the Valencian streets on 15 March. The ceremony is preceded by fireworks which are lit by the commission "fallera mayor". Firstly, around 10 p.m., the child monument is set on fire and at 10:30 p.m. the prize winning falla of the special section is also set on fire. After that, the main monument is burnt at midnight and after half an hour the 1st prize winner of the special section in this category is burnt too. Finally, at 1a.m. the institutional falla monument, which doesn't take part in the competition, is set on fire in the Town Hall Square. The cremà also takes place for the Bonfires of Saint John, which are lit in

. It takes place on 24 and 25 June by night, one day after St. John's Eve. The participants usually cry out to the firemen that supervise the fire to be soaked because of the summer heat and the fire; when they start doing it with hoses begins the Banyà. In Alicante the cremà starts at midnight from the castle of Santa Bárbara and it continues until 4a.m. In all these celebrations it is usual to burn the monument with a ''traca'' (a wick lined with firecrackers that explode quickly one after another) and lately with fireworks too. Then the monument is set on fire to the beat of folk songs. In order to prevent all the monuments burning down at the same time, they are usually set on fire at different hours, depending on the prize they have won.

External links

Fallas Council

St Jogn's Eve, Alicante

Explanation of the Cremà on Distrito Fallas

Fallas currently on the dynamic website Fallas de Valencia
*. {{DEFAULTSORT:Crema Traditions involving fire Culture of the Valencian Community Festivals in Spain Falles Spring (season) in Spain

See also

External links