Fiestas
La Tomatina
By h.b.
Aug 20, 2007 - 10:06 AM

The biggest tomato fight in the world – and maybe also the biggest food fight – has been taking place in Buñol for more than six decades, where, on the last Wednesday of August, tens of thousands of people from all over the world descend upon this small town of Valencia province to hurl tomatoes at each other.
It’s probably Spain’s most famous festival after the San Fermín festival in Pamplona – the running of the bulls.

The site of the battle is a small town of 9,000 inhabitants in the west of the province, 38 kilometres from Valencia City. Buñol is easily accessible by both road and rail, via the Valencia-Madrid A-3 motorway, or the local train from Valencia.

Although La Tomatina has no religious significance itself it’s held during a week of celebrations in honour of the town’s patron saint, San Luis Bertrán. There are a number of theories explaining its origins, with the most popular dating back to the last Wednesday of August 1945 during a parade of Gigantes y Cabezudos (giants and bigheads) taking place as part of the annual festivities. A group of youngsters who wanted to join in accidentally knocked over one of the giants, who started swinging out at everyone around him when he got to his feet. The youngsters grabbed some tomatoes from a nearby stall to defend themselves …. and so began La Tomatina.

The festival evolved over the years, and was even banned on two occasions in the 1950s. It was officially recognised in 1959, after a protest known as ‘El Entierro del Tomate’ – ‘The Burial of the Tomato,’ when a giant tomato lying in a coffin was carried in a funeral procession through the streets of the town.

There are a number of rules to taking part:
do not bring bottles or any other object which could cause accidents;
you must not tear T-shirts;
tomatoes must be squashed before throwing to avoid hurting anyone;
take care to avoid the lorries which carry the tomatoes;
stop throwing tomatoes as soon as the second rocket sounds.

It’s also advisable to wear lace-up footwear, old clothing obviously, and diving goggles to protect your eyes.

The first event of the festival is on the Wednesday morning when a ham is placed at the top of a large pole liberally covered in soap: La Tomatina cannot officially start until someone is able to climb to the top of the pole and bring the ham down. Buckets of water are meanwhile thrown from the balconies above, and some participants soak themselves in the fountains to get ready for the fight.
Then comes the rocket signalling the start, while the crowd anxiously waits for the first lorry to arrive with the first load of tomatoes. The lorry unloads its cargo and battle commences.

The battle is an hour of pure mayhem, when more than one hundred tons of ripe tomatoes are hurled through the air. It’s every man for himself as the lorries keep on arriving with more ammunition, and the square is very soon awash with a sea of red.
Everyone is considered fair game and anyone can take part.

The second rocket soon sounds and the rain of tomatoes comes to an end. Protective plastic covering is removed from the buildings in the square, and it’s time for the massive cleanup.
The hoses are brought out to wash down both the participants and the streets, and La Tomatina is over for another year.