Spanish Fallas Ninot Figures Burning in Hamilton Square

Copper-toned light floods the public square as giant paper-mâché figures ignite. Silhouetted against the brightening flames, the towering ninot characters stand rigid before their destruction. Thick plumes of gray smoke rise vertically into the clear sky, obscuring the upper edges of the wooden structures. Bright orange fire consumes the intricate details of the costumes, turning painted faces into dark, hollow shapes. Spectators gather at the perimeter, their forms reduced to dark shapes against the glow. The heat shimmers off the pavement, distorting the air just above the burning base. One spark flies upward from the leftmost figure, cutting a brief white line against the deepening blue of the evening.