Nieves Ochoa has been celebrating Las Fallas in Valencia, Spain, since birth. “We have four generations of falleras in my family,” she says. “The lights, the fireworks, the smell of gunpowder, the music that takes over the streets, the monuments that the fire then burns—it runs through our veins.”
When the two-week-long festival takes over the city’s cobblestone streets in March, women of all ages, known as falleras, flood the city. The women are dressed in 18th- and 19th-century clothing and wear their hair in intricate braids and twists of the past. Hairstylist David Bataller Hidalgo started doing hair for falleras at age 15. Some 35 years later, he can now complete a look—which typically involves multiple pre-braided hair caps plus hair combs and a mantilla, if you’re making an offering to Virgin Mary that day—in 20 minutes flat. “The hairstyle has evolved a bit over time, but there’s always been a respect for history,” he says. Marisa, who has been participating in the tradition for more than half her life, says the moment her hairstyle is complete, she’s still herself “but with much more emotion.”
Of course, you’ll still see glimpses of modern times: baby pink braces, an Apple Watch, or a pair of Nike sneakers peeking out from beneath a hoop skirt. But one sentiment remains true, perfectly voiced by Berta Peiró García: “With this hairstyle, I feel the most Valencian possible.”
“I have been a fallera for more than 45 years,” says María del Pilar. “My hairpieces are already sewn and prepared, so all I have to do to get ready is place them.”
Twenty-three year old Berta Peiró García has been a fallera since birth. “I change my hair depending on the style of my dress,” she says. “It takes about 20 minutes to style. I prefer to take my hair out at the end of the night, but this year I am a Fallera Mayor, which has meant a lot of events, so I ve had to sleep with my buns in a few times.”
