La Tomatina, The Tomato Fight
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La Tomatina, The Tomato Fight
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If
throwing squashed tomatoes turns you on, I know just the place for you. Bunyol,
near Valencia hosts its annual ‘La Tomatina’ festival, and it has to be the
biggest Tomato fight in the world. The festivities begin early in the week, but
the main event occurs on the last Wednesday of August around 12 O’clock. High
noon in a Valencian village; I can just imagine Gary Cooper walking through the
town square with his tomatoes cocked.
This absolutely absurd, wonderful happening has grown to be one of the most popular Spanish festivals, with people visiting from all parts of the world. It’s refreshing to know that there are still enough nutty people around, to turn a sleepy village of 9,000 people into a horde of tomato stained lunatics numbering 30,000. Every hotel and guest house room is reserved during the event, so either book early or drive in on the day. Alternatively, you could take one of the hourly trains from Valencia, which is some 40 kilometres distant. Bear in mind, that if you are using public transport or a rented car, it may be a good idea to take a change of clothing. The sheer weight of numbers means that you are unlikely to get anywhere near the town square, but don’t worry, the party spills over into the adjoining streets, and if you really want to be pelted by soft tomatoes, I’m sure you’ll find a way. If you do manage to find yourself in the town centre at the start of proceedings, you’ll witness the strange custom of trying to retrieve a ham from the top of a greased pole, which is supposed to signal the beginning of the fight, but in reality it is very rarely claimed. This is just another quirky part of this very unusual festival.
As
is often the case, no-one knows for sure how this bizarre event took root, but
the most popular theory dates it back to 1945, when the annual parade of
‘Gigantes y Cabezudos’ was passing through the village. Apparently, some youths
attempted to join the procession, but only succeeded in toppling one of the
big-headed giants. The enormous figure took exception, lost his cool and took
the route of retribution, but being the lumbering monster that he was, couldn’t
catch the youngsters. As a final act of humiliation, the boys took some tomatoes
from a nearby vegetable stall, threw them at the ogre and kept doing so until
police arrived to quell the herbaceous outburst. That should have been it, but
the following year, the youngsters returned to the town square with their own
tomatoes, and started the whole thing again. Once more the police had to
intervene. The town council tried to nip the trend in the bud, but the custom
grew and grew into the biggest tomato fight in the world. The only person who
managed to halt the tradition was Franco, who banned it because it had no
religious content, but after his death the festival returned as did many other
activities which had been stopped during his tenure.
There are in fact a few rules applied to La Tomatina by the town council. Bottles are forbidden and it is frowned upon to rip clothes, a rule which is ignored wholesale, whether the victim is male or female. It is also considered good practice to crush tomatoes before they are thrown. The wearing of eye protection is encouraged, though not mandatory, and it’s a good idea to keep a wide berth of the lorries that deliver the tomatoes. The final rule is that you cease throwing tomatoes immediately upon hearing the second rocket that signals the end of the fight.
When
the event is over and the streets are hosed down by fire trucks, the acidity of
the tomatoes ensures that the roads and pavements are perfectly clean for
another year. This is when many of the participants move to the nearby river to
wash, and turn the water red with tomato juice, before going back into the
village to party.
In recent years, 140 tons of tomatoes have been hauled in from Extremadura and spread across the streets and doorways of Bunyol. The carnage is such, that shopkeepers cover their premises with huge sheets of plastic in an attempt to protect the shop fronts.
It’s a fight, but a good one, so go and enjoy yourself.
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