Fires blaze and ear-splitting firecrackers ring through the air during Las Fallas, Valencia's huge festival in honour of Saint Joseph. Towering ninots - satirical papier-mâché statues of famous figures - are famously burned to the ground on the final night.

Located throughout the city, the huge, colourful ninots target politicians, film stars, bullfighters and anyone of local, national or international notoriety. The sculptures are on display throughout the entire festival for visitors to admire. When the final night of the festival arrives, the effigies are stuffed with fireworks and left to burn as part of a ceremony known as La Crema. Each year, the sculptures are judged and the winner is saved from cremation and placed in a museum. 

Burning effigies are not the only speciality during Las Fallas. Another highlight is the daily mascleta, which takes place in the Plaza Ayuntamiento, a mass of firework explosions, rockets and firecrackers. Each day sees different neighbourhood groups competing for the most impressive display, with the prize going to the loudest. Good standing space is hard to come by, unless you book yourself into one of the square's hotels months in advance. 

Ambulances wait on standby throughout Las Fallas, particularly on the final night. Some people faint with the sound of the firecrackers and pregnant women are forbidden from attending the mascleta. So come if you dare - this event is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

No-one knows the true origins of Las Fallas, but it seems to be a pagan/Christian hybrid. Medieval guilds built bonfires in homage to St Joseph, patron saint of workers, and by the 18th century, fire and effigies were at the heart of the event, going up in smoke on 19th March, St Joseph's Day.