100k Flow Bouquets For The Virgin In Valencia - La Ofrenda Fallas 2018

For two full days during Valencia's Fallas Festival, the streets are taken over by men, women and children dressed in traditional costumes for the Ofrendà. Over 100,000 of these falleros arrive from all around the Comunidad Valenciana, each of them carrying a bouquet of flowers for the giant statue of the Virgen de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Forsaken), in the Plaza de la Virgen. The scale of the parade is difficult to believe: it starts at 15:30 on March 17th, and continues until well past midnight... and then repeats that schedule on the 18th.

The flowers delivered by the falleros are worked into the dress of the giant virgin, and the sight is breathtaking. Just in case you're wondering, the virgin is not among the figures which will later be burnt throughout the city, on the night of the Cremà! Instead, she stays in the plaza for a few days longer, so that everyone has a chance to admire her.

On the day before the Ofrendà, the 16th of March, there's another parade when the city's various casales, or Fallas associations, march into the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to pick up their prizes for their Fallas figures. This is a lively procession, with marching bands, and a festive energy.

Valencia feels so incredible during these days. The music, the dancing in the streets, the paella-cooking competitions, the endless parades, and of course the monuments transform the city into something totally unexpected and new. There's so much joy and life expressed by Valencians during Fallas, and I hope I was able to capture some of it in the following pictures and video.

Read all about La Ofrenda on our Valencia Travel Blog!

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