The Art of the Mascletà

It's one day closer to Falles, and I thought it was a good time to introduce you to the art of the mascletà. Mascletaes look a lot like fireworks, suspended from a string. But where fireworks tend to amaze you with spectacular lights and showers of sparks, the mascletà is designed to create a symphony for the ears. 

Up until the moment the first mascletaes are lit, thousands and thousands of people crammed in to the Plaça de l'Ajuntament, waiting anxiously for the announcement:

Senyor pirotècnic, pot començar la mascletà!

(Mr. Pyrotechnician, you can start the mascletà)

Here is a video of last year´s mascletà, caution, it is LOUD. 

Of course, there are some visual parts like little bursts of color in the air, but the concentration here is on the sound. Mascletaes happen every day across the city, and in smaller towns, but the big ones are in the city center, every day during the Falles celebration. 

Ready for lighting! 

The mascletà starts off small, with some sound and visual effects, but gradually becomes louder until reaching the Terratrèmol,  or the earthquake phase. After this is a more toned-down aerial fireworks show. 

If you are close enough, you will feel your body shake with the noise.

Mascletaes have to create a specific rhythm. Otherwise they are just fireworks. There must be a crescendo of sound and a loud, dramatic conclusion. 

These days, pyrotechnics use programmed electronic controllers to start and coordinate the rhythm, which means that mascletaes can be a lot more complex (and cooler!) than ever before.

Every year the pyrotechnics try to outdo the previous year, but there is a limit to how much powder can be used, for safety reasons. So they have to be creative -- and they are! The pyrotechnics are like local heroes. :)

And it sounds counter-intuitive, but you don't want to cover your ears if the sound of the mascletaes is too loud. Instead, you want to open your mouth a little bit, to let the sound waves pass through. And don't wear ear-plugs. You'll do more damage to your ears if you do. The sound is so loud, you have to let it go through you.

Although they're the most popular during Falles (because we like setting shit on fire and making noise), a mascletà happens for any and all reasons - holidays, celebrations, random days of the week... they're everywhere.

It has been said that if a nuclear bomb fell on València, people would start cheering with insane excitement believing it to be a mascletà (assuming there is anyone left to cheer!)