By now, you are probably wondering, why is this being celebrated? What is being celebrated? This tradition started in the middle ages of Spain. Carpenters would burn wood planks called 'parots' to support them while they worked in the dark, harsh winters. When the spring came, it was a celebration to renew the season and end the winter. This also is linked to their Catholic Patron Saint of Carpentars, San Jose (Saint Jospeh). 

Over the years the parots transformed from small wood planks to these giant paper mache statues. When the years started to pass and they were just burning wood planks, they started to get creative and add character. The parots were being dressed, they then began to take on identifiable personalities of other community members and eventually came to the contemporary ninots. I discussed previously that they take on political figures, Noyes discusses in her book, "The relationships of effigies and public are shaped by the same continuum of attitudes which governs everyday interaction." 

As Sims and Stephens discuss in Living Folklore, tradition helps confirm identity. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation. Within each community is a group that puts hours of their own time to create an experience for all the people to enjoy. These neighborhoods conform together and place their beliefs and values in these sculptures. They get to participate and share this tradition as a whole. This gives them that sense of belonging which allows people to put the time, money, exhausted efforts to work months in advance for this festival. Powell writes, rituals offer people a sense of control when they are dealing with stressful and uncontrollable events. It also is said that we truly have no control but we can trick our brains to make us feel better.