Shaila Berga Pastor: "The Bonfires are an explosion of culture and tradition"

Shaila Berga Pastor has spent her life connected to fire. She has held various roles in the sister festivals of San Vicente del Raspeig, such as child lady and adult bellea, before joining the Alicante Bonfires at the Alacant Golf commission.

In 2024, during her second year as a bonfire participant, she wore the bellea sash to represent this district. Following this, she is preparing to become a candidate for the bellea del foc of Alicante, before crossing the catwalk and feeling the excitement in the bullring.

Whether in Alicante or San Vicente, this Alicante native describes the Bonfires as "an explosion of culture and tradition," where she can "see how the fire consumes our beloved ninots, feel those mascletàs, and resonate with its music."

All of this makes "my skin tingle and transports me to a world of magic and colour." Especially during the nit de la cremà, her favourite event of les Fogueres.

Among her anecdotes, she reveals that it is her eight-year-old daughter who styles her hair before she puts on the mantilla. "She always parts my hair perfectly," she confesses.