They’re here, they’ve already started, and as all of Spain looks to the coast, Valencia is fully in the throes of its famous and enthralling festivities- the Fallas!

From the end of February to the 19th of March, you can live Valencia’s most typical celebration. It’s their biggest, the one that everyone dreams of visiting at least once in their lifetime, Las Fallas.

Tradition tells us that Saint Joseph is the patron saint of carpenters. Therefore, in the 18th century, all the carpenters in the city met in the plazas on the eve of March 19, the day on which Saint Joseph is celebrated, to make an offering. And what was this offering? They would burn tools and scraps of wood that had been used during the winter, in order to summon good luck.

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And this modest event grew and grew into what we see today as the spectacular and grand celebration of Las Fallas.

Therefore, today we’re bringing you a basic guide of what you can see each day at the festivities.

• Friday, March 16

La Plantá. There have already been concerts, contests and other festivities throughout the city’s plazas, but the Plantá signals the official kick-off of the week’s celebrations.

Throughout the year, the great Falla artists have been busy in their workshops creating their astounding monuments. And it is during the Plantá that all this art comes out and into the light. These sculptural works are set up in the plazas so that everyone can enjoy them for a few days and vote for the best one.

In addition, every day there is a different mascletà (a traditional, powerful fireworks’ display) in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (Plaza of the City Hall). But what exactly are these mascletàs? Noise. Thunderous noise, and LOTS of it! They are strategically placed firecrackers that sound slowly at first, but get faster and faster as the explosions progress. This results in a deafening show that shakes the ground with each detonation.

• Saturday, March 17

In addition to the daily mascletà in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the weekend also celebrates a colorful floral offering to the Virgen de los Desamparados (the Virgin of the Defenseless). So if you see people in the street with bouquets of roses or the image of a Virgin with a mantle full of flowers, there is no need to be scared. It is part of the tradition.

After midnight, the Valencian sky fills with a symphony of gunpowder, lights, colors and sounds... The Castle of Fireworks display has started. A true wonder to behold.

• Sunday, March 18

This day will have a more cultural touch than the rest.

Two of the city’s historical figures receive their tribute every year, so that the tradition continues from generation to generation.

One of them is the poet Maximilià Thous. Among many other things, he is distinguished for putting lyrics to the official anthem of Valencia at the beginning of the 20th century. And the other historical figure is the composer Maestro Jose Serrano. He is known for having penned, among many works, the hymn to the Virgen de los Desemparados, the patron saint of Valencia whose image is yearly regaled with flowers.

But Sunday is not yet over. Adding to the mascletà and the offerings in the streets, this is the Nic del Foc, the Night of Fire.

Being the spectacle to top them all, this is the night where Valencia’s night sky attracts the most onlookers. More than half a million people come together every year to enjoy this display of pyrotechnic and digital art. It's no use reading a lot about this night, you just have to live it.

• Monday, March 19

On March 19, the day of San José is celebrated and, following tradition, it is Valencia’s special day, par excellence.

Las Falleras Mayores de Valencia, the 2 yearly elected queens of the celebrations, make a floral offering to the Virgen de los Desamparados. Beyond the offering itself, it is worth seeing because of the women's beautifully intricate traditional outfits, the typical music and for the festive atmosphere that swells in the streets on this day.

In addition to the daily mascletà, on March 19 there are two unique events: the Cabalgata del Foc and the Cremà.

The Cabalgata del Foc is a spectacular parade through the most important streets of the city where the protagonist is fire. It is a truly impressive pyrotechnical display. There are floats, enormous machines, music... and fire, a lot of fire.

But the parade is not only about its own spectacle. It is the announcement that Cremà, the moment everyone has been waiting for, is about to arrive. When midnight comes, only the Falla sculpture that received the most votes is saved from a fiery end.

All the rest, every last one, will burn into the night until they are reduced to ashes. After this, all that remains is to sweep up the dust, return to the workshops, and start the process of building next year’s Falla monuments once again.

Today we decided to go for a "mercantile" trip around the city of Seville. We are going to visit one of the most important markets in the city and tell you all the secrets, so when you visit Seville you know where to go.

Let's discover Seville!

Let's go directly to the Mercado Lonja del Barranco.

We have been told that it is one of the coolest places to go and enjoy the gastronomy of the city, so let´s see if it's true.

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After a walk along the river, we arrived at the market at 11.00 am, an hour after they opened so we wouldn´t be crowded with people. The first thing we see already leaves us speechless. On the outside, we see a fish market which was created many years ago and remains its structure. However, once you walk inside we discover a new modernized world.

As you enter El Mercado del Barranco we see that it is not well-lit. They say it´s because of its high ceilings and large windows that allow the sun of Seville to shine inside the market.

After taking a few pictures, we started walking inside the market and, at a glance, we calculated that there are at least 20 different stations. After a quick tour of a small part of the market, we decided to grab a refreshment but there was a problem. How are we going to pick one station out of 20?

We met different people around the market and asked them where should we go, which brewery should we try, and what was their favorite cocktail bar or a wine bar? After thinking about it for a while, we decided to stop by the brewery they recommended and it was awesome. However, we had to stop there and save the other two options for the next visit because it was clear that we had to return for more fun.

From a distance, you can distinguish the brewery for its tremendously large barrels above it.

After a while, we realized loads of people entering the market from all directions. From curious people stopping by each station to tourists from around the world. It was like visiting a different world with such an amazing atmosphere. El Mercado del Barranco is next to the Guadalquivir River, we walked around the terrace and the views were impressionable. A trip to Seville is completely worth it, we promise.

Between one thing to another, the time went flying by and it was lunchtime! However, we were indecisive about what to eat? An Appetizer or the main course?

Not having a clue what to pick we took the opportunity to visit several food stations and tried a little bit of everything. Without a doubt, it was the best decision we made.

The market has such a gastronomic variety of food that it was impossible for us to go everywhere. They had appetizers, tapas, desserts, octopus, empanadas, croquettes, seafood, cheese, ham, rice ... We will be back!

We had such a great time discovering new and unique selections. When you go, you must dedicate time so you can visit most of the stations there. Also, before you leave you must watch the sunset on the terrace while you enjoy some flamenco. From there you can see all of Seville, the Guadalquivir, and even the Triana bridge!

Pack your bags, go to Seville, learn Spanish and let yourself fall in love with the city.

See you soon!

One of the "tricky" questions related to Spanish culture is about Spanish names; along with all of the history and tradition involved in Spanish name culture. Imagine you’ve just arrived in Spain; now, imagine you’re introduced to someone named "Pepe García Paredes." You might think his name, based on the order it comes in, is: first name, Pepe; middle name, García; last name, Paredes. But after a week or so in Spain, you will have discovered that García is not his middle name at all, but rather part of his last name. Then you might think, "ok, his name is Pepe and his last name is García-Paredes," (one of those curious hyphenated last names). But no, after another week or so you realize that they are actually two different last names: one is García and the other, Paredes. And then, to complicate things even further, after another week in Spain, you realize that his given name is actually not Pepe, but rather José.

So what on earth is going on here? And are Spanish names really so complicated? The answer, lucky, is no. And actually, once you see what's behind it all, it will be easy to understand the Spanish name system.

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Two Last Names?

Let's start with the matter of the two last names. Spaniards have two last names: the first is our father's first last name and the second is our mother's. In Spanish speaking countries, women don't lose their maiden names; they continue using them for all legal purposes even after they're married.

Does that mean Spaniards collect a bunch of different last names? No. The first last name is passed on from generation to generation but the second is lost. Take a look at a practical example: José García Paredes marries María López Garrido; they have a daughter named Rocío, whose last names would be García and López. When Rocío García López has a son with Ricardo Benítez Gomez, named Manuel, his full name is Manuel Benitez García, or Manolo to his friends.

Spanish Nicknames and Diminutives: Pepe, Paco, Lola…

That last example brings us to the question of Spanish nicknames and diminutives. It seems almost everyone in Spain has a nickname, or a “short for” name. The most well known nickname in Spanish is for people named José; the nickname is Pepe, which comes from the abbreviation of the old form of José: "Josepe."  Another strange case is the case of Paco, Curro and Pancho, which are all short for Francisco. When it comes to Paco the name supposedly comes from the abbreviation of "Pater Comunitatis," the title given to San Francisco de Asís, the founder of the Franciscan religious order. Curro may come from the abbreviation of Pacurro since "-urro" is a diminutive suffix that's rarely used anymore. Another diminutive that many people think is a proper name, is the legendary Lola. In reality, Lola is just a loving way to call someone named Dolores. From Dolores comes Loles and from Loles, Lola.

Some nicknames or diminutives are simply abbreviations of compound names in an attempt to make these solemn names a little more comfortable to use and lively. Chema, for example, is actually José María; Juancar is actually Juan Carlos; and Juanra is actually Juan Ramón. These kinds of nicknames are especially common with women's names. For example, Rosario becomes Charo; Chelo is Consuelo; Maite is for María Teresa; and María Isabel becomes Merichel.

Some of these nicknames are given for more childish reasons, or to make a very serious name sound more endearing for a child. For example, Goyo is the familiar name used for Gregorio and Chayo for the more serious name Rosario.

And Names that Seem Like Nicknames!

On the other hand, sometimes confusion can happen in reverse; and we may think a given name is actually a nickname. Take the names Paloma, Henar, Pino, Montaña and Pilar for example. These names have nothing to do with birds (paloma means dove), or a place where hay grows (henar is hayfield or meadow), or with an evergreen tree (pino means pine tree), a landform (montaña means mountain) or a structural support (pilar is pillar). They are simply names inspired by religion; namesakes to virgins and the places where they were found or they are used to tell these stories.

That may be enough for now, we wouldn't want to make things too confusing... But, we also want to tell you not to worry if Spanish names seem just a little too complicated! You can't imagine the number of Spaniards who for example, don't know that John and Jack can be the same person, or that their Russian friend called Pasha is actually named Pavel!