LA TOMATINA (Graham Mclellan Wikipedia)
Few people would argue that Spain has some pretty incredible fiestas. However, one of the most bizarre has got to be La Tomatina – which is a massive tomato fight.
Amazingly, some 30,000 people a year crowd into the village of Buñol to hurl rotten tomotoes at each other. The mess is simply beyond imagination but taking part has become almost as important as running with the bulls at Pamplona.
La Tomatina occurs on the last Wednesday of August which, frankly, is just as well – as anyone taking part (including any bystanders) needs to be prepared to get smothered in tomatoes and then showered off. The high temperatures in August, of course, make this no hardship. However, be aware that if you go to La Tomatina during the tomato fight then you will be kidding yourself if you think you will be able to escape the mess.
That said, La Tomatina is well regulated and the tomato fight starts and stops according to set rules that are adherid to. This is important to know as it means that you can visit Buñol either side of the tomato festival and have no worries whatsoever that you will be showered by tomatoes!
Indeed, one of the wonderful things about La Tomatino is the speed at which Buñol is cleaned up once the tomato fight has ceased. Almost instantly, a sophisticated cleaning operation occurs and Buñol reverts to its pre- tomato festival condition.
Buñol is located some 40 kms due west of Valencia city in Valencia Province. It is easily accessed via the A3 (Valencia to Madrid) motorway. So, you can stay in or around Valencia city and quickly travel to Buñol for the day and still be back on the beaches before sunset!
The tomato festival of Buñol ‘started’ in 1944 when a brawl erupted in the streets of the town and ended with the participants throwing vegetables at each other. The police broke this ‘battle’ up but a similar (but I gather more friendly) gathering occurred the following year when tomatoes were brought along and thrown at the participants.
Between 1945 and 1958 the tomato festival in Buñol was in a state of flux. Some years it occurred and on other years it was banned. Finally, in 1959 Buñyol town hall agreed to allow La Tomatina – so long as some fundamental rules were set in place. The most important of these was that the tomato fight was not to start until a horn was blown and then was to stop immediately afer it was blown again, a wise measure if ever there was one!
Finally, in 1980 the town council of Buñol threw (if that is the right word!) their weight behind the tomato festival and started actually supplying rotten tomatoes for the tomato fight. The demand for these, as you can imagine, is now huge!
So, if you want to participate in La Tomatina and the world’s greatest tomato fight then go Buñol and head for the main plaza. It should not be too hard to find as you will be with something like 30,000 other people. However, what an experience – to be a part of the greatest tomato fight in the world and one of the wackiest activities within the culture of Spain…
Incidentally, for the record, the rules of La Tomatino are:
1. Do not start throwing any tomatoes until you hear the horn sound.
2. Do not carry bottles or hard objects as they can cause accidents and hurt your fellow battlers
2. Do not tear clothing, throw them around or be physically violent.
3. Crush the tomatoes before you launch them, so that the blow will be less painful.
4. Keep a safe distance from the trucks with the tomatoes.
5. Stop throwing tomatoes when you hear the second horn.
As to what to take. Well, I would recommend:
1. Trainers or old shoes that will not fall off – Flips Flops can be very easily lost!
2. Wear old clothes you no longer want or need, as the stains will be almost impossible to get out.
3. Swimming goggles are a great help, as the juice in the tomatoes can sting your eyes a lot.
4. Waterproof your camera, wallet and anything of value, for obvious rehaznos.
Finally, if you are thinking of going to La Tomatina then make sure that you book accommodation well in advance. August is the height of the summer holidays in Spain and everything is naturally booked well in advance.
Nick Snelling – Culture Spain
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[...] as a must-see fiesta in Spain, much the same as the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Certainly, as this article makes clear, to be involved in the biggest tomato fight in the world is probably worth doing – if for no [...]
[...] as a must-see fiesta in Spain, much the same as the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Certainly, as this article makes clear, to be involved in the biggest tomato fight in the world is probably worth doing – if for no [...]