Valencia In Valencia, perhaps the most eagerly awaited week of the year is the celebration of the spring fire festival, Las Fallas. There are about 800 Fallas societies in and around Valencia, and much of their work revolves around preparing for the festival. The societies hire special artists to design "fallas" for the celebration. They can range from small sculptural pieces that animate a city corner to huge constructions that take over a plaza. People come from far and wide to join in. There are musical groups everywhere, parades, women in fabulous, traditional dresses, and jaw-dropping fireworks displays. On Sunday at midnight, the celebration ends with the burning of the fallas, all except one which becomes part of history in the Fallas Museum. Also inextricably linked to the name Valencia is paella. Though the cuisine of Valencia is influenced by the oranges, vegetables and seafood close at hand, the source of its greatest culinary fame is Paella Valenciana, a dish that dates to the middle of the 19th century. Traditionally cooked outdoors over a wood fire, it combines chicken, snails, fresh vegetables, and saffron with rice. First choice for festivals, celebrations, and special occasions, paella is enjoyed communally, with everyone eating out of the same wide shallow pan.
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