HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A mascletà (pronounced in
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 ...
: askleˈta is a
pyrotechnic Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating fireworks, but also includes safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts (and other fasteners), parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demol ...
event characterized by the achievement of a noisy and rhythmic composition that features, particularly during daytime, in street festivities; it is typical of 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 ...
). It gets its name from the ''masclets'' (very loud
firecrackers A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental to ...
) that are tied by a wick to form a line or
firework Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
display. These are usually fastened at a medium height with ropes or raised by cannons. Unlike the fireworks that seek visual stimulation, the ''mascletades'' (pronounced in Valencian /maskle'taes/ and written in an informal way as ''mascletaes'') aim to stimulate the body through strong rhythmic sounds of ''masclets''; some people consider these sounds as "musical" sounds, while not neglecting the importance of the visual aspect. What distinguishes a mascletà from a succession of explosions is the rhythm that ''masclets'' must create to explode. It is essential that the force of the explosions must gradually rise, before coming to a dramatic conclusion; because without that, a mascletà can not be considered as such.


History

Initially the ''mascletà'' was let off in the ''Plaça de l'Ajuntament'' of Valencia on March 19 (
Saint Joseph's Day Saint Joseph's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is in Western Christianity the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus Christ, celebrated on 19 March. ...
) as the culmination of the festivities. Afterwards, the number of ''mascletàs'' was extended up to the current 19 (from March 1 to 19). The ''mascletà'' of Valencia has continuously evolved, especially in technique and in the amount of powder used. For security reasons the amount of gunpowder has been limited to 120 kg per mascletà. The only exception has been on March 19, 2008, when the limit went up to 240 kg. The technique has evolved and nowadays electronic programmes are used to ignite the explosions. This allows more accuracy and increases safety. Traditionally, pyrotechnicians would ignite the mascletà with a wick.


Places in Valencian Community where mascletades are let off

The ''mascletades'' are famous throughout all the Community of Valencia but those especially well-known are from March 1 to 19 at 2:00 pm in the ''Plaça de l'Ajuntament'' 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 ...
and from March 3 to 19 at 2:00 pm in the ''Plaça del Regne'' of Alzira, both during the Fallas festivities. There are also ''mascletades'' during the festivities of the Magdalena in Castellón and in
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 ...
from June 19 to 24 in the ''Plaça dels Estels'' the festivities of the Bonfires of Saint John. For some years, the ''mascletades'' have also been introduced during the August festivities in
Elche Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants,
and they are let off in the ''Passeig de l'Estació'', where you can appreciate the beautiful image of the Palmeral of Elche.


Parts

A mascletà usually consists of four parts: *''Start'': The show begins with both sound and visual effects. *''Body'': During the central part of the mascletà the intensity and volume goes up. *''Terratrèmol (earthquake)'': The powerful firecrackers called masclets, burst in unison. *''Air show'': Intense aerial fireworks. They are always visible for spectators and are accompanied by colours. Innovations have been introduced in these four parts, and they have made mascletades more complex than a "traditional" structure. The use of electronic controllers allows complexity and a combination of both air and ground pyrotechnics.


External links


Explanation of a mascletà in DistritoFallas.comArs Sonora in the Valencia mascletà
The mascletà as a
sound art Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary Time-based media, time-based Artistic medium, medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in Cross-genr ...
, in the programme Ars Sonora, by
Miguel Álvarez-Fernández Miguel Álvarez-Fernández (born 28 November 1979 in Madrid, Spain) is a sound artist, composer, filmmaker, theorist and curator working between Madrid and Berlin, where he has taught at the Electronic Music Studio of Technische Universität Berli ...
, in Radio Clásica. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mascleta Culture of the Valencian Community Festivals in Spain Fireworks events in Europe Traditions involving fire Articles containing video clips Falles