24 Jun 2010

Off to the Fires!

It's TIME!!! La Nit de la Cremà has arrived! 

At midnight on the dot a giant palmera (fireworks in shape of a palm tree) will be launched from the castle. 
palm tree fireworks from the 2009 competition

The newspaper says they're aiming for a record breaking palmera, both in duration and size (11.5m diameter, 700m in height). As it dissipates the Bellea del Foc will give the order to burn the Official Hoguera in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, and a few minutes after the Hogueras de Categoría Especial will be ignited as well. 


They go for simultaneous burns of all the big monuments so as to better distribute the crowds. All of it will be watched over by firemen, who will go from one Hoguera to the next until all have been reduced to ashes sometime between 3 and 4 a.m.



Now I'm going to go put my bikini on under a t-shirt and some shorts. Make myself a sandwich and head out downtown to watch it all BURN!!! Don't know which one yet... I want to take my camera and cell phone down (for pics and vid) so I'm going to want to avoid getting too wet during the banyà... the solution: plastic bags. 

If you want to join in or have an idea of what I'll be doing, I highly suggest you check out the post (with video) I wrote last year about the Cremà and the Banyà! I was out with my sister and some British friends of hers visiting and we really lucked out by getting close (in the reserved area!) to one of the big ones. Since I'm on my own this year I won't go for something that intense... might end up at the one in the harbour like I did 2 years ago. That one usually has fireworks coming out of it as it burns as you can see from this little video I put together for my friends back then:



Have a good evening! I sure intend to, even though I don't plan on getting this wet:

4 comments:

  1. update: it's 3 a.m. and I just got back, after somehow having managed to watch 3 hogueras burn!!! including the one a few blocks from my place which started just as the bus bringing me home was about to turn in to the street! so off I hopped and enjoyed watching the kids get drenched by the firemen. fortunately they had their parents in the background with towels... not so the people I saw downtown who will stay wet for a few hours more. :p

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  2. Is that YOU playing in the rain? I wonder how things burn in the rain, I guess you will explain...

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  3. that is me DJan! Two years ago... and NO rain, I'm soaking wet from having insulted firemen with the rest of the crowd and gotten a hose turned in my direction! ;o)
    It's called the banyà (bath) and is part of the hogueras traditions! I got some great pictures and videos last night, as soon as I can weave them together I'll put them up! No water for me this year though... to risky with my camera and cell phone! :p

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  4. Fun, fun, FUN! I don't know why I don't remember the palm tree fireworks from last year, but they are spectacular!

    Can I use that photo for my 4th of July post? They are palm trees after all and what could be better than fireworks that look like golden palms?

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Hey there! Yes you! The quiet one in the back... I'd love it if you hung out for a bit and shared your thoughts!

I might stop by your place with an answer, but I'm more likely to reply right here so click on "email follow up comments" if you'd like to see what I and others have to say and come continue the conversation! ;o)