Las Fallas started as a feast day in Valencia, Spain, to celebrate St Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. Las Fallas has become a five day celebration of fire. The main focus of this celebration is the building and destruction of large cardboard, wood and plaster statues (known as ninots). During the evening of the 19th March, young men use axes to break holes into the ninots and fill them with fireworks. On the stroke of midnight, the ninots are set on fire. During the day, festivities include parades, paella contests, beauty pageants and firework displays.

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