One of Spain’s most international recognized events is the yearly tomato fight, La Tomatina in Buñol,Valencia. A peculiar celebration one may think, however it has become one of the most popular events in the country and every year people travel from all over the world to join the other 50,000 tourists and locals to take part in the world’s largest vegetable fight.
La Tomatina
The Battle Begins.
Each year there is a week-long festival held in the city in honor of the town patron Saints, St. Louis Bertrand and The Mother of God of the Defenseless, Virgin Mary. During the week there are many activities happening such as firework displays, parades, and lots of dancing and music. Nevertheless the most popular event during the week is the famous tomato fight that takes place every year on the last Wednesday of August month. The tomato fights starts at exactly 10:00 in the morning and goes on for an hour. During this hour the city of Buñol is transformed into something that might appear as the set of a horror movie. But no, it is all tomatoes and people having fun. Lorries full with tomatoes are driven into the town square and approximately 150,000 tomatoes are used for the hour long battle, which is about 90,000 pounds of tomatoes!
What could possibly be the origin of the Tomato Fight?
The town turns into a mass of Red!
The origin of the tomato fight dates back to the year 1945 when the festival took place in the city. During one of the parades through the town a group of youngsters wanted to participate, in trying to push their way through they knocked one of the participants over. This caused a fight between the two parties which then escalated to a larger fight. The incident happened right next to a vegetable stall in which the youngsters reached for the tomatoes and starting throwing them into the crowd. The “battle” ended when the police finally arrived and took control of the situation. The ones responsible were sanctioned and had to pay for the damages. Nevertheless these youngsters had had so much fun during the summer of 1945 so they decided to repeat the tomato fight the following year, this time bringing their own tomatoes. The incident continued for a couple of years and every time it had to be stopped by the police. But the tomato fight had left its trace and had become an unofficial traditional festival much loved by the people of Buñol. The fight continued every year, until the town council finally banned the tomato fight in 1955 and imprisoned ones who participated. However with much protest from the villagers the local authorities finally gave in and listened to the voice of the people and allowed the tomato fight to take place, and from of 1957 the fight was allowed in Buñol. Nowadays it is the actual town council that promotes the tomato fight and they are even the ones that supply the tomatoes.
Useful Advice to the Participants
- Do not wear flip flops or open shoes. The best is to wear closed gym shoes and it is better if they are not your favorite pair!
- A good idea is to use swimming goggles.
- Wear clothes that you don’t mind throwing away after the eventful day. Keep in mind that your clothes will most likely tear sometime during the tomato fight…!
- Organize your accommodation beforehand, a good idea is to rent at holiday home in Valencia and then travel to Buñol the day of the tomato fight.
- If you want to take pictures, bring an aquatic camera. It does get very messy!
- Have Fun!!
The Rules of the Tomato Fight
There are a few simple rules that apply during the tomato fight, follow them and that way you will be able to enjoy the event.
- You may not bring any bottles or objects that could cause an accident.
- You must not throw or tear t-shirts.
- One MUST squash the tomatoes before throwing them. (To avoid hurting anyone)
- You must be careful for any truck or lorry that comes along.
- When you hear the second shot you MUST stop throwing tomatoes.
This year the Tomato Fight is held on the morning of the 25/08/2010 .
