Dénia is located in the province of Alicante along the Costa Blanca in Spain, halfway between Valencia and the city of Alicante. With a population of nearly 50,000, it is not a large city but its habitation stretches back into prehistory. It is named after the Roman goddess Diana, patroness of hunters, wildlife, crossroads, night, moon, and more.
The train arrived at Valencia from Malaga, where Rochelle and I had spent a few days that you can read about here and here, and from there, we took a bus to Dénia for our next adventure.
It was March, and the first thing I noticed were the sculptures and installations on the streets. I would later find out that there was a festival going called Las Fallas, an unnual festival in honour of St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. The festival also marked the welcoming of Spring.
The festival has been recognized as Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2016 and consists of elaborate sculptures set up in different neighborhood. They are made of papier-mâché, polystyrene, and other fiery materials that come in handy the final night when the fallas (or sculptures) are lit up and burned.
The fallas are made in the likeness of politicians, celebrities, and famous figures. Some of these sculptures are spicy, and I was too prudish to photograph them, but I saved one for last, so stop reading before you get to the end, if you don't want to see ( . ) ( . )
In our first day there after arrival, Rochelle and I walked around the streets and were surprised to find out that people were already drinking in the late morning. We quickly adopted this cultural habit, seamlessly integrating into Spanish culture by enjoying a few libations along with the delicious food, which has earned the city the designation of UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
The festival was spread throughout the city, and it was a great way to explore the city by visiting various neighbourhoods and checking out their creations. Kids were walking around throwing firecrackers. I saw one of them hold a light to the firecracker and then he mistakenly threw away the light instead of the firecracker, which promptly exploded between his fingers. His mother came over and consoled the crying kid, whose night had been unexpectedly ruined, though he seemed to be alright.
As mentioned, the festival gives the population an opportunity to vent their frustrations through humour by knocking famous people down a peg with the creative pieces. I was very impressed by the size and detail of the work. Apparently, the one in Valencia was even bigger, but we didn’t check it out.
The festival had just begun, so we got a chance to experience it in its voluptuous fullness, including the fiery finale, which I will show another time. Thank you for visiting!
CLOSE YOUR EYES NOW!
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Images by @litguru