(Sunset at Cafe del Mar, Ibiza, Spain)
After a few days spent on the island of Ibiza enjoying the gorgeous beaches and some famous DJs it was finally time for La Tomatina in Bunol, Spain! Over 40,000 people would gather in a small crowded street to chuck tomatoes at each other.
We woke up nice and early to meet up with the tour company [Festivals Around the World] along with hundreds of other people (mostly Australians) that would bus us over to Bunol from Valencia for the festival. When we arrived we bought some 2€ goggles, goggles that would end up breaking five minutes after buying them so were a pointless purchase, then we shoved our way through the crowd to the main street.
My new Aussie friend and I pushed our way through thousands of people until we made it to the front and center of the madness. We were only feet away from the greased up pole with a ham hanging from the top. We watched as men brutally climbed on one another attempting to climb up the greasy pole and pull down the ham marking the beginning of the tomato fight. After only failed attempts leaving men bruised and bloody a cannon boomed marking the beginning of the tomato fight.
Once in the center of the crowd you had no choice but to stay where you were with the small cobblestone street packed with bodies, no alleys leading out, and all doorways blocked by giant tarps. So after I had squeezed my way to the very middle I realized something terrible...I had to pee. I looked for anywhere to go...a tree or dumpster to hide behind, a restaurant, home, anything! I was out of luck. After a half hour or so of trying my hardest to hold it I realized that I couldn't hold it any longer. Right there, in the middle of the street, squished between thousands of people, I peed my pants. Luckily no one seemed to notice.
Trucks slowly pushed through the crowd dumping tomatoes along with people inside the trucks throwing tomatoes. It was chaos! Tomatoes everywhere! People were
shoving and pushing and cheering and singing. Tomatoes were in my eyes, in my
hair, and soaked through my clothes. At one point my friend and I were shoved into a mass of people lying in the tomato sauce singing and scooping up thick tomato juice off the street spraying everyone.
I don't think I ever need to go to La Tomatina again but it truly was an amazing once in a lifetime experience
Wiki Facts About La Tomatina:
Description: (Wikipedia)
"At around 10 AM, festivities begin with the first event of the Tomatina. It is the "palo jabón", similar to the greasy pole. The goal is to climb a greased pole with a ham on top. As this happens, the crowd work into a frenzy of singing and dancing while being showered in water from hoses. Once someone is able to drop the ham off the pole, the start signal for the tomato fight is given by firing the water shot in the air and trucks make their entry. The signal for the onset is at about 11 when a loud shot rings out, and the chaos begins.[1] Several trucks throw tomatoes in abundance in the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive and are grown specifically for the holidays, being of inferior taste.[2] For the participants the use of goggles and gloves are recommended. The tomatoes must be crushed before being thrown so as to reduce the risk of injury. The estimated number of tomatoes used are around 150,000 i.e. over 40 metric tons.[3] After exactly one hour, the fight ends with the firing of the second shot, announcing the end. The whole town square is colored red and rivers of tomato juice flow freely. Fire Trucks hose down the streets and participants use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomato paste from their bodies. Some participants go to the pool of “los peñones” to wash. After the cleaning, the village cobblestone streets are pristine due to the acidity of the tomato disinfecting and thoroughly cleaning the surfaces.[4]"
ORIGIN OF FESTIVAL: (Wikipedia)
In 1945, during a parade of gigantes y cabezudos, young men who wanted to be in the event staged a brawl in town's main square, the Plaza del Pueblo. There was a vegetable stand nearby, so they picked up tomatoes and used them as weapons. The police had to intervene to break up the fight and forced those responsible to pay the damages incurred. This is the most popular of many theories about how the Tomatina started.
The following year the young people repeated the fight on the same Wednesday of August, only this time they brought their own tomatoes from home. They were again dispersed by the police. After repeating this in subsequent years, the party was established. In 1950, the town allowed the tomato hurl to take place, however the next year it was again stopped. A lot of young people were imprisoned but the Buñol residents forced the authorities to let them go. The festival gained popularity with more and more participants getting involved every year. After subsequent years it was banned again with threats of serious penalties. In the year 1957, some young people planned to celebrate "the tomato's funeral", with singers, musicians, and comedies. The main attraction however, was the coffin with a big tomato inside being carried around by youth and a band playing the funeral marches. Considering this popularity of the festival and the alarming demand, 1957 saw the festival becoming official with certain rules and restrictions. These rules have gone through a lot of modifications over the years.
Another important landmark in the history of this festival is the year 1975. From this year onwards, "Los Clavarios de San Luis Bertrán" (San Luis Bertrán is the patron of the town of Buñol ) organised the whole festival and brought in tomatoes which had previously been brought by the local people. Soon after this, in 1980, the town hall took the responsibility of organizing the festival.
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