Loosely connected in its most distant origin to a pagan celebration of the spring equinox, the appropriately colorful history of Las Fallas spans centuries. The fiery tradition that gave way to the magnificent celebration of Las Fallas traces its humble origins to 1497, when simple artisans and carpenters took a simple but long-lasting initiative:
During the winter months, they would be forced to spend long hours every day working by the flickering light of oil lamps, which hung, more or less precariously, from wooden structures. But with the arrival of the spring and the lengthening of days, lamps and their structures became unnecessary. That is when it occurred to some inspired, or maybe just clumsy worker, to send it all up in flames and let it burn. The celebration was immediately adopted to celebrate the arrival of warmer, longer days, and it was dedicated to San José (Saint Joseph), the patron saint of carpenters.
From that point onwards, it was all about having fun and getting creative when decorating these wooden structures, eventually even giving them human faces resembling characters of the neighborhood. Finally, the 18th century saw the next significant point on the timeline of Las Fallas, as groups of characters began appearing together to depict satirical and critical themes. Check out the final result of these carved makeshift "dolls" through the characters animating the impressive and ever-amusing fallas of today.