La Tomatina

La Tomatina 25-08-2010.

Tomato battle at Tomatina in 2006.

La Tomatina Festival started the last Wednesday of August in 1945 when some young people spent the time in the town square to attend the Giants and Big-Heads figures parade. The young boys decided to take part in a parade with musicians, Giants and Big-Heads figures. The energy of jovialities caused one participant's Big-head to fall off. The participant flew into a fit of rage, began hitting everything in his path. There was a market stall of vegetable that fell victim to the fury of the crowd. People started to pelt each other with tomatoes until the local forces ended the fruit battle.

The following year, some young people engaged in a pre-planned quarrel and brought their own tomatoes from home. Although the local forces broke it up, this began the yearly tradition. In the following years, the young boys' example had unwittingly made history for thousands of people.

La Tomatina was banned in the early 50s, however this did not stop the participants who were arrested. But the people protested the prohibition and the festivity was again allowed with more participants and increased passions. The festivity was again cancelled till 1957 when, as a sign of protest, the tomato burial was held. It was a demonstration in which the residents carried a coffin with a huge tomato inside. The parade was accompanied by a music band which played funeral marches. The protest was successful. La Tomatina Festival was finally permitted and became an official festival.

As a result of the report of Javier Basilio, a broadcaster from the Spanish television program called Informe Semanal, the festivity started to be known throughout the rest of Spain. Since then, the number of participants increased year after year as well as the excitement about La Tomatina Festival. In 2002, La Tomatina of Buñol was declared Festivity of International Tourist Interest by the Secretary Department of Tourism due to its success.[1]

Preparing the "palo jabón"

Usually, the fight lasts for about one hour, after which the town square is covered with tomato debris.[2] Fire trucks then hose down the streets and participants often use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomatoes from their bodies. Some participants go to the “Los Peñones” pool to wash. The citric acid in the tomatoes leads to the washed surfaces in the town becoming very clean.[3][4]

Since 2013 participation in the event has been restricted to the holders of paid tickets. In 2015, it was estimated that almost 145000 kg of tomatoes were thrown.[3]

The city council follows a short list of instructions for the safety of the participants and the festival:[5]

1. Do not throw anything but tomatoes
2. Do not tear clothes
3. Squash tomatoes before throwing them to avoid hurting others
4. Keep a safe distance from trucks
5. Stop throwing tomatoes after the second starter pistol shot
6. Follow the directions of security staff
7. Only throw tomatoes to a target you can see, to avoid hurting others
8. Do not throw tomatoes directly at buildings
9. Have a great time!

Throwing tomatoes from a truck

La Tomatina Buñol has inspired similar celebrations in other parts of the world:

• Since 1982, the town of Twin Lakes, Lake County, Colorado has held a tomato fight called the "Colorado Texas Tomato War," in which Texans and Coloradans square off. The Coloradans also attempt to overtake the Texans' straw Alamo effigy, generally succeeding.
• Since 2004 the Colombian town of Sutamarchán holds a similar event on 15 June when a surplus of tomatoes is harvested.[6]
• In Costa Rica the town of San José de Trojas in Sarchí canton celebrates a Tomatina during the local Tomato Fair.[7]
• In the town of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province in China, a tomato fight is held on October 19, during which they use up to 15 tons of tomatoes.[7]
• The City of Reno, Nevada in the United States also has an annual hour-long tomato fight that started in 2009. The event seems to take place on the last Sunday of August and is organized by the American Cancer Society. Organizers named the festival La Tomatina, and give full credit for the idea to the Spanish festival.[6]
• In the Indian state of Karnataka, the Karnataka Government banned the hosting of such a Tomatina event in Bangalore and Mysore, after private organizers tried to organize one. Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda is quoted as saying: "In the name of 'La Tomatina' festival, permission should not be granted to waste tomatoes". A similar event planned in Delhi was cancelled after it received negative response from the public.[8]
• Funtasia Island, Patna hosted a similar La tomatina Holi event on March 26, 2013 at Funtasia Water Park in Patna, India.[9]

• The festival was re-created for the song "Ik Junoon (Paint It Red)" from the 2011 Bollywood film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.[10][11]
• The opening scene of the film We Need to Talk About Kevin depicts the character Eva attending La Tomatina.
• The Movie Spanish Masala has a scene showing the La Tomatina festival.
• The 2014 British musical film Walking on Sunshine features a tomato fight in an Apulian village. It was shot in Nardò, Italy.[12]
• The 2013 animated series Mickey Mouse episode "Al Rojo Vivo" features Mickey Mouse stumbling across La Tomatina.[13]

• Battle of the Oranges, similar traditional festival in Ivrea, Italy
• Fiestas of International Tourist Interest of Spain
• Running of the Bulls

Wikimedia Commons has media related to La Tomatina.

• Official website of La Tomatina
• Ayuntamiento de Buñol - La Tomatina (in Spanish)