The engraellat is a unique kind of street firework, which we had the dubious honor of “experiencing” (or: “being assaulted by”) on Saturday June 13th, as part of the celebrations for Corpus Christi.
L’Engraellat is actually the ancestor of the modern mascletà, which we all know from Fallas. The only place it’s currently practiced is at Almirante Cardoso / Conde Altea. Its setup, before it starts exploding and making your head shake, looks innocent enough. There are a bunch of little canisters (“cañoncitos“) spread out intricately about the street. But each of these is filled with gunpowder, and they’re all attached to the same fuse.
The result is massive noise. We should know better, by now, than to continue showing up at these things. Check out the video — I tried my best to contain the horrified squeals which were itching my throat.
Questions
A) What can possibly be the point of this, besides to deafen the city’s populace?
B) Why would people be clapping at the end of it?
C) Why do we continue to seek these street mascletàs out?
D) Did you see the granny escape in the video, around 1:33? Clever.
The Falleras had a blast:
Incredible traditional fireworks show!
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