Giant wooden doves burned in Spain for peace in Gaza and Ukraine
The Las Fallas festival, one of Spain's most renowned cultural events famous for its giant wooden puppets, concluded with the burning of 20-meter-long wooden doves to call for peace in Gaza and Ukraine.
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Valencia's Las Fallas festival, which has a history of at least 250 years and was held from March 1 to 19, featured doves as the main figure among its iconic giant puppets this year to symbolize peace.
Designed by well-known street artist Escif and built in collaboration with woodcarver Pere Baenas, the 20-meter-long and 30-meter-wide installation, titled "Two doves, one olive branch," consisted of two doves holding an olive branch in their beaks. It was used to call for peace for Gaza, which is under Israeli attacks, and Ukraine, which is occupied by Russia.
Speaking to the press about his work, Escif said, "Art is a fiction that brings us closer to the truth. Las Fallas is culture and celebration, but it is also satire and social criticism."
Referring to the firecrackers and fireworks that are symbols of the festival and are set off by the thousands in designated areas every day, Escif stated, "The fire and the sound of the explosions from these firecrackers could represent one of the wars that displace thousands of people every day. Las Fallas is one of the places where the show turns into social criticism. The puppets here allow us to regain the determination to reflect on the uncomfortable truths that we, as a society, choose not to look at."
On the other hand, Escif also brought the issue of irregular migration from North Africa to Spain, which claims thousands of lives every year, to Las Fallas. Referencing the migrant tragedy at the Morocco-Spain border in the cities of Melilla and Ceuta, he placed wooden puppets of 4 African irregular migrants on the wire fences surrounding the special area where the fireworks were set off.
Escif stated that his goal was "to open a door for dialogue on the idea that public spaces should also be spaces for criticism and reflection."
MORE THAN 700 PUPPETS ARE MADE IN A YEAR
For Las Fallas, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016, woodworkers in the city spend a year creating more than 700 giant puppets. Puppets of many famous people from the worlds of politics, art, and sports, as well as thematic puppets representing current social issues, are exhibited on different streets of the city.
On the final day of Las Fallas, which also celebrates the end of winter and the arrival of spring, the exhibited puppets are burned one by one, and the festival ends with the burning of the largest puppet placed in the city square.
It is stated that the economic contribution of Las Fallas, one of Spain's important cultural events, to the city of Valencia is over 700 million euros.
Although not known exactly, according to written sources, the history of Las Fallas dates back to 1774, and its name originates from the Latin word "Facula," meaning "torch."
Like all cultural events in Spain, Las Fallas coincides with Saint Joseph's Day, a holy day according to the Catholic faith.