Valencia seeks catharsis in traditional burning of sculptures months after deadly floods

VALENCIA, Spain — The enormous blue cone slowly crushes tiny piles of sand that represent houses. It symbolizes the deadly havoc wrought by floods that ravaged Spain's eastern Valencia five months ago.

The artwork is one of hundreds of wood and papier-maché sculptures that are painstakingly crafted — and then burned — when Las Fallas, the most important yearly celebration in Valencia, reaches its climax on Wednesday night.

This year’s festival has taken on special meaning. There is hope that the burning ceremony, or Crema, will provide some catharsis for the city and surrounding villages after over 220 people died in October’s flooding.

UNESCO, which added Las Fallas to its catalog of intangible cultural heritage in 2016, describes the incineration of the sculptures as “a form of purification" and "social renewal.”

The festival originated in the 18th century, according to UNESCO, and now brings together some 200,000 people for the event that runs from March 14-19, culminating in the day of St. Joseph.

Spain's King Felipe VI visited the party on Wednesday to show his continued support for flood victims. The king had been pelted by mud when he visited a hard-hit area along with politicians in the immediate aftermath of the floods.

The sculptures made by local artisans can tower over 20 meters (65 feet). This year, some were built using wreckage from peoples’ homes.

Others lampoon politicians accused of mishandling the catastrophe. And U.S. President Donald Trump was depicted unfavorably in a few sculptures — one alongside Elon Musk — after his wavering on Europe's defense.

But “Nada," or “Nothing,” the wooden cone by artist Miguel Hache, stands out for directly taking on the pain of the floods.

Passersby can use cardboard molds to make little houses of sand, then roll the cone to flatten them, evoking the brutality of the rushing waters. In its path, the cone leaves an imprint of a street map of the southern neighborhoods where the deluge was the heaviest.

“If I had to sum my work in one phrase, I would call it ’the weight of the water on the earth,” Hache told The Associated Press. “A devastated landscape is left behind.”

Hache, 40, has been crafting sculptures for Las Fallas for 25 years. He originally planned to save the idea for “Nada” for the 2027 Fallas to mark the 70th anniversary of a previous flood that hit Valencia’s city center in 1957.

But he decided this year was perfect for the design, especially after he spent days joining thousands of volunteers cleaning up the mud months ago.

Hache said he had been pleased by receiving so many messages of appreciation for the work.

On Wednesday night, “Nada” will be consumed by flames.

“I am excited to see how it will come apart and reveal itself,” Hache said. “Normally I don’t get emotional, but maybe tonight I will.”