I simply cannot believe that my first month in Spain has already come to a close. I sit here looking back at all that I have learned and done, and it seems like so much but so little at the same time. It would take me years to thoroughly traverse the beautiful, mystery-laden country that is Spain, so I shall simply have to make the most of the two months I've been blessed with.
Now, the title of this post might alarm you at first, but no need to fear or glance around for a fire extinguisher. All of the fires in Alicante to which I am referring are strictly controlled. Yes, every year on the 24th day of June there are around one hundred fires which are ignited all over the city. To quench your understandable curiosity, I'll explain a bit more about these "fires." The fires are a symbol of the Las Hogueras festival of Alicante, Spain, which is one of the largest festivals in the country that began centuries ago. And the word "hoguera" translates directly to "bonfire" in English, so we see the creative naming of the festival there. The fires are ignited by the burning of enormous sculptures, which are crafted from wood and cardboard and painted in gloriously rich color and detail. The sculptures are called "Fogueres" and can cost even thousands of dollars to build. They are so expensive that they require "donors" in order to be built! And after all that money and effort is given to build the structures, every single sculpture is burnt on the last festival day! The entire celebration lasts from June 20th to June 25th, and celebrates the feast day of Saint John. The holiday is so well known that tourists come from all over the world to participate, schools close, and many get vacations from work. The entire city of Alicante is essentially shut down for the week, as the crowds, music, and food stations are so densely scattered throughout the city that normal navigation is nigh impossible.
Since the festival program is a bit complex, I'll break it down for you a bit. On June 18 are the first "mascletas." These are fireworks which solely create noise, unlike the fireworks we have in the States, which create light and noise. These "mascletas" are performed every festival day at 2pm in the center of the city.
Now, the festival officially begins on June 20th, which is the beginning of the summer solstice. This is when the parades and real festivities begin. Though it shocked me at first, it is actually normal for the citizens of Alicante to stay up all night on these festival nights, singing and dancing. On the evening of June 20th, bonfires on the beach take place, and tradition calls for the people to jump over the fireplaces for good luck.
Throughout the rest of the week there are parades, music, food vendors, ceremonies, and mascletas (the sound-only fireworks), but the festival reaches its peak on the 24th of June, which is Saint John's feast day and six months before the day of Jesus' birth. The burning of the Fogueres begins when the great "palmera" is shot into the sky. This is an enormous firework that looks like a palm tree (who would have guessed from the name "palmera"?). Afterwards, the firemen move from sculpture to sculpture burning them completely down. Here is a picture that I took of some of the sculptures and a picture of the burning!
That is one SCORCHING flame. You do not want to stick your hand in that!
And if you care to see better photography and video footage on the Fogueres than I can provide, check out this professional video:
Another special thing about the festival is the native attire, which offers us a visual window into Spanish history. I snapped a picture from across the street:
This is a picture of some of the people dressed in the traditional celebratory garb. The women wear full gowns, hoop skirts, and veils, while the men wear leggings, trousers, and vests. The one thing running through my mind when I see them wearing such attire is, I am so sorry, you must be roasting!
Although the official festival ends on the 25th, fireworks are performed at midnight on the beach until the 29th. I have never seen such amazing fireworks! There are some that literally are shot from the ocean so that they look as though they are erupting from the depths of the water. It's simply beautiful.
With that, I believe I've roughly covered the schedule of events throughout the Las Hogueras festival in Alicante. It is truly an amazing event. If you ever have the chance to study in Spain, or even visit, do so during Las Hogueras. You will have the time of your life and enjoy the rich cultural beauty that the festival offers at the same time. So, the best of every world, am I right?
Thanks for "burning" through my blog! ;)
Laurel
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