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By Owen Thomas
Spain is known world-wide as a country of many fiestas
- festivals of religious fervour like Semana Santa (Easter
Holy Week) and festivals of a more secular nature like the Feria
of San Fermín (the "Running of the Bulls") in Pamplona. However,
few festivals have the sheer fun value as one known as the Tomatina.
This festival may be located a day's car-ride from most of Andalucia
but for those of you who want to experience an event that is quintessentially
bizarre, it is well worth the drive.
The Tomatina is possibly the world's largest
food-fight. Every year, locals and thousands tourists alike meet
in the Valencian city of Buñol. For over 60 years the town has been
the site of a massive tomato fight in which over 100 tons of very
ripe tomatoes are thrown during hours of mayhem in the streets of
the small town.
Red Riot
The tomatina is actually a full week of
celebrations which take place usually on the last Wednesday in August.
Live music, fireworks, and cooking contests precede the actual tomatina
tomato fight. During this time, Buñol's normal population of 9,000
people swells massively to well over 40,000 and due to the small
number of local hotels and hostels, many aficionados commute from
Valencia, some 40 km away and other nearby communities.
The day of the tomatina begins quite early.
Many people without local accommodation catch the 6AM train from
Valencia to take part in the festivities. At around 9AM, people
begin attempting climb up a greased pole from which a cured ham
is hung and take it down. Many people struggle to reach the ham
in a comical attempt.
At 11AM, the signal for the tomato fight to begin
is given in the form of firing off a rocket. Trucks loaded with
tons of over-ripe tomatoes bought from the province of Extremadura
are brought into the main Plaza del Pueblo. At the signal
to begin, all hell breaks loose for the next 60 minutes. The tomato
fight continues until 12 noon when another rocket is set off to
signal the end of the melee.
As one would guess, the post-tomatina town
centre looks like a war zone. The town's cleaning brigade come out
in full force and hose down everything in sight. The participants,
however, usually clean themselves up in the waters of the Buñol
River or if lucky, they might get hosed down by kind-hearted local
residents who are willing to help. Many shopkeepers prepare beforehand
by protecting their stores with sheets of plastic, thereby saving
themselves a great deal of trouble.
Although experts agree that the tomatina
began in around 1944, no one quite knows the reason why. Various
theories claim that it might have been a food-fight that was held
among a group of juveniles. Others state that it began as a punishment
for an exceptionally bad musician. One of the more plausible explanations
claims that the tomatina began as a response to the actions
of a particularly unpopular local politician. No matter what the
original cause for the mayhem, the event was so well enjoyed that
it was repeated year after year and grew in popularity. The tomatina
did fall out of favour under the reign of Francisco Franco due to
its lack of religious significance but it was re-instituted in the
late 1970s after the dictator's death.
The tomatina has a number of rules so that
everyone can enjoy themselves with the least possibility of injury
or trouble. For example, although the tomatoes are extremely ripe,
participants are still asked to squash them thoroughly with their
hands before launching them. People are also told not to take any
hard objects like bottles into the battle so that there is less
of a chance of someone launching anything that is not a tomato.
The use of gloves and/or goggles is also encouraged. Ear plugs are also
suggested because many participants find themselves visiting the
doctor later to have bothersome tomato seeds removed from their
ear canals. Finally, if you take a camera, take a waterproof one
for obvious reasons and people are advised not to climb tall objects
for a better photographic vantage point - it will make you a "sitting
duck" to the 40,000 or so people looking for a target.
The local government's site on the tomatina sees
this bit of local craziness as more than just a fun time and not
only because of the massive injection of cash that the tomatina
brings to Bruñol. It also claims the existence of a Tomatina
Effect. Not only do the tomatoes have a positive effect on
the skin of the participants, making it ".soft and cleansing it
of impurities." but it also has a positive advantage on the sidewalks
and streets of the town, ".leaving the paving stones whitened and
cleaned and thoroughly disinfecting their surfaces. No matter what
the long-term effects of the festivities, Buñol's tomatina
still remains one of the most bizarre festivals in Spain and perhaps
in the world.
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