Every year on the 23rd of June (Saint John's eve), the small mountain village of Alins in the Vall Ferrera (Pallars Sobirà, Catalonia) comes alive with the ancient fire festivity known as the "Falles". This spectacular tradition, rooted deep in Pyrenean heritage, involves torch-bearing participants of all ages descending from the surrounding mountains of Botanal and Sant Qirc in a fiery procession that symbolises the purification of the land, the triumph of light over darkness, and the welcoming of summer. This festivity full of colour, fire and traditional music will finally revolve around the "Falla Major", in front the church of the village, where this trunk of a pine tree about eight metres high is burnt.
This tradition is more than just a local festival; it is part of a broader network of fire festivals celebrated across the Pyrenees, which UNESCO recognised in 2015 as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The designation celebrates the deep cultural significance of these festivals, their transmission from generation to generation, and the sense of identity and continuity they foster among mountain communities in Spain, France, and Andorra. In Alins, this heritage is proudly preserved and reinterpreted every year with communal effort and intergenerational participation.
As the flames dance through the narrow mountain paths and down into the heart of the village, the motto of the "Fallaires" of Alins echoes loud and proud - "Som de Foc i Ferro" (Maid of Fire and Iron) - a poetic representation of the fusion between the purity of fire, the endurance of iron, tradition and strength and nature and human creativity. It is both a tribute and a declaration that this small village in the Catalan Pyrenees will continue to honor its traditions while forging its own future.
