The cremà (

Valencian Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the El Carche comarca in Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance language also known as Catal ...

for "burning") is the act of setting fire to a

falla monument A Falla or monumento fallero is an artistic monument, usually large (three to twenty meters in height, sometimes higher) composed of figures called '' ninots'', which typically encircle one or more bigger central figures, called ''remates''. The f ...

, made from materials such as cardboard and wood, during the festivities of several towns in the

Valencian community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. A similar celebration is the Bonfires of Saint John from

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

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

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

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

Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers of ...

'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 A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

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 Valencian culture Festivals in Spain Falles Spring (season) events in Spain

See also

External links