Fallas 2015: La Ofrenda

Gentle readers, I posted a little last year on la ofrenda, where the communities, towns, and villages throughout the Valencian Community come to the city to pay homage to the Virgin Mary here in Valencia. The processions last for hours and cover wide swaths of the city, and beautifully dressed falleras and falleros join the procession after arriving in the city on buses or from their more local neighborhoods. Each typically has a banner, a flower display, and numerous bouquets to leave in the Plaza de la Virgen, and are often accompanied by a small walking band.

To be honest, I did not realize the incredible effort made by the groups, but I hope you can tell by the pictures the sheer size of the procession. It is not a quick event, and certainly not one that can be witnessed in its entirety, as it takes two days, begins in the afternoon, and continues well into the night. To complicate matters further, the weather this year was cold and windy (and occasionally rainy), making the procession anything but comfortable for the folks in ridiculously expensive clothes and probably equally expensive shoes. And, as my daughters have informed me, fashion does not equal comfort, which explains the pained looks and hobbling gait of many of the falleras after the procession.

Regardless, this is a true labor of love for the folks involved and a spectacle worth seeing. Falleras are carrying flowers that are part of a huge exposition in the Plaza de la Virgen.

Oh, gentle reader, it does bear mentioning that the overcast, gloomy weather often leads to overcast, gloomy pictures on my camera. The poor thing is truly doing its best to capture good images, but low lighting just isn’t its strength. Please forgive the lighting… I did what I could!

A tidal wave of falleros!