"It will take three or four days of Offering to adapt it to the thermometer"
Guillermo Serrano, president of the Fallas Intergroup of Valencia, affirms that the planted fallas would have had an effect called by visitors from Madrid or Italy "and that has weighed on the decisions"
Guillermo Serrano, president of the Intergroup, is one of the interlocutors between the fallas and the authorities. Now they have had to negotiate and deal with an unexpected bull: the coronavirus.
-How many hours without sleep and how many meetings?
-On the first day we did not sleep, and these days we have rested very little. We have had four intensive meetings, but we are in permanent contact to resolve issues.
-What doubts did you convey to Councilor Carlos Galiana?
-The doubt was that there were only two possible scenarios, suspension and cancellation. Both had problems, because nobody would have wanted to celebrate the Fallas in July, but we have seen, for example, that the USA. USA It has closed all its airspace for 30 days, something that has to show us that here in Valencia, fortunately for our climate, it is more controlled, but it could get out of control. The measure is not that you like, but I think it is quite consistent.
"Should the decision have been made before?"
-We would have liked it to have been decided earlier because if there were no fallas on the street, the impact would have been less. There are very disadvantaged commissions, but we must look forward to all and cast a cable to these fallas in the possible problems that may have arisen from planting the falla. In addition to Exposicón, Cuba, Sueca, Na Jordana and the municipal falla there is also San Marcelino or Doctor Olóriz.
-People comment that it is not clear about parading in the Offering at four in the afternoon. What have they proposed?
-The idea is to trace the Fallas in July, but this month has an obvious connotation that no one escapes. Just like few people fancy chocolate with churros in July and I suppose it can be changed to horchata. There are certain things that are going to have to change. There will be three or four days of Offering. Between now and July there will be many meetings. If the Board counts on us, they will have us. There is the example of the sister party in Alicante. They are not so many people, but the temperature is similar and theirs is to study the way to get one more day and start at 18 or 19 hours to mitigate the midday heat. In any case, they are proposals and it is about adapting the party to the thermometer.
-There were those who thought that it was better to join the Offering with the Virgin.
-It is missing to see how long the focus lasts. It remains to be seen if it affects Easter, the Virgin or the altars. We are all in an ay.
-Do you advocate more for burning the falla or doing the 'displantà'?
-As in July there will be fallas again, I would try to save everything possible and have their falla in the square. I understand that it is a difficult and expensive task and that is where we have to work, although there are pieces, such as those of the City Council, which is not feasible.
-Have you asked that there be no prizes in July?
-What has been proposed is to try, in the most reasonable way possible, to close the 2020 cycle of Fallas at all levels. The original idea is to trace or repeat as much as possible, with all the possible ingredients, a Fallas in July. There will be mascletaes, castillos, and that of the Fallas contest could continue, with the exception of four fallas of the Special Section and two or three of First Section that are already planted. It would be necessary to see how the theme is coupled. You have to talk to the fallas involved and the City Council to decide what to do. From second section to bottom and all children fallas are not affected and should continue and in the case of affected fallas, it is they and the City Council that have to decide.
-The dates from 15 to 19 is to keep the chip of the days?
-We did not want to skip the summer because the cycle had to be closed and a consensus had to be reached with artists, bands, fireworks ... When the summer passes you put your mind to the new fallas cycle. The goal is to get to 2021 without that hammer blow.
-The falleros question whether they can go down to the casal to have dinner or play Parcheesi.
-Of common sense and responsibility the parties are suspended. For example, in the Basque Country they went to a funeral and the marimorena has been armed. There may be board meetings, but putting 200 people in one place ... I don't know this about the coronavirus where it will take us.
-There are still people who think that it has been exaggerated by suspending the Fallas, what do you think of this issue?
-In Valencia it is still controlled, but if the Fallas were planted, it could make a call effect and that was what really weighed when making the decision. It is necessary to think of the visitors in Fallas more numerous are the Italians and people from Madrid, the points with the most cases. If 200,000 Madrid residents appear, the hospitals could collapse.
Do you call for commissions to maintain investment and not lower the budget for next year?
-The City Council is going to make an important effort so that the failures can fulfill the contracts that we have and the 2021 Fallas must be a copy of this year's budget or improved. Ideally, what happened this year should remain an anecdote that will be told again and again.
-What would you say to the sponsors of the commissions?
-I hope they support the Fallas at such a hard time.
-What remains to be solved?
-The commissions have to reschedule the acts of festivals because July is the high season, activities of the local and street markets and start with the contracts and program of 2021. |
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