Fallas and Rain

Friday, March 11 was the last day before Spring Break ...aka Fallas Celebration at School.

Here are some of the finished fallas:
Mt. Rushmore


Taj Mahal



Colosseum


Eiffel Tower


Lady Liberty


Big Ben


Then they were moved to the park and configured in the perfect arrangement for burning.

Some of the boys and girls dress up (if they want) as falleros (boys during fallas) or falleras (girls during fallas).
Salva (one of my students) sporting the typical fallero outfit

Lucia and Abby in their fallera wear.


Some more of my girls


Lucia's shoes



Fallera hair = Princess Leia hair and big fat honey bun in back.


Then you put combs on all sides... none of those buns are real


Pretty Carmen


People who don't wear those outfits wear a bluson (blouse) and a bandana, shown here by Laura.


Me (and my borrowed bluson and bandana) and some of my kids.


Ok now with everyone else who didn't dress up...lame-o's.


We go to the gym for the ceremony (normally outside but of course it rains for the first time in 10 years.. the one year I am here for Fallas)

These guys are the students who were voted President, VP and secretary. I'm not sure what that really means but they just announced some stuff during the ceremony.


The littlest of Falleros


If you can't tell, those boys in the back (Salva on the left being one of mine) are doing bunny ears on the Falleras. Snakes and snails.


The kids who are dressed up get called to the front by name. They stand there then sit back down again.


A Fallera Mayor is a girl everyone votes on to be the Fallera Mayor. This is true in the overall festival and at our school. So they call the Fallera Mayor up from each grade and present her with flowers and a sash.




This was the Falla the school voted on to save. It will not be burned.


We left the gym and went to classrooms overlooking the park to watch the burning of our Fallas.

Jesús had the Fallas prepped and ready to burn...aka doused in gasoline because of the rain.


It started with some fire crackers and then burned in about... 10 minutes..maybe less.






And then the Fallas mound was gone.


After we went to the cafeteria for chocolate and these other things I don't know the name of.
The hot chocolate here is basically a cup of chocolate syrup. Not like home.


It doesn't matter what the name of it is... Jose loves it.


And then this is also tons of fun.


Get it! The hot chocolate is best to dip things in...not so much for drinking.


Photos with the few students left in the room... love these days when parents come and we just shovel all the kids out the door as early as possible.
Me, Sara, and Valeria


Carmen


Minerva and Lucia


Ricardo...chocolate/Falla coma.



Let the real Fallas begin.