Who cast that first fateful tomato that started the La Tomatina revolution? The reality is no one knows. Maybe it was an anti-Franco rebellion, or a carnival that got out of hand. According to the most popular version of the story, during the 1945 festival of Los Gigantes (a giant paper mâché puppet parade), locals were looking to stage a brawl to get some attention. They happened upon a vegetable cart nearby and started hurling ripe tomatoes. Innocent onlookers got involved until the scene escalated into a massive melee of flying fruit. The instigators had to repay the tomato vendors, but that didn't stop the recurrence of more tomato fights—and the birth of a new tradition.
Fearful of an unruly escalation, authorities enacted, relaxed, and then reinstated a series of bans in the 1950s. In 1951, locals who defied the law were imprisoned until public outcry called for their release. The most famous effrontery to the tomato bans happened in 1957 when proponents held a mock tomato funeral complete with a coffin and procession. After 1957, the local government decided to roll with the punches, set a few rules in place, and embraced the wacky tradition.
Though the tomatoes take center stage, a week of festivities lead up to the final showdown. It's a celebration of Buñol's patron saints, the Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand, with street parades, music, and fireworks in joyous Spanish fashion. To build up your strength for the impending brawl, an epic paella is served on the eve of the battle, showcasing an iconic Valencian dish of rice, seafood, saffron, and olive oil.
Today, this unfettered festival has some measure of order. Organizers have gone so far as to cultivate a special variety of unpalatable tomatoes just for the annual event. Festivities kick off around 10 a.m. when participants race to grab a ham fixed atop a greasy pole. Onlookers hose the scramblers with water while singing and dancing in the streets. When the church bell strikes noon, trucks packed with tomatoes roll into town, while chants of "To-ma-te, to-ma-te!" reach a crescendo.
Then, with the firing of a water cannon, the main event begins. That's the green light for crushing and launching tomatoes in all-out attacks against fellow participants. Long distance tomato lobbers, point-blank assassins, and medium range hook shots. Whatever your technique, by the time it's over, you will look (and feel) quite different. Nearly an hour later, tomato-soaked bombers are left to play in a sea of squishy street salsa with little left resembling a tomato to be found. A second cannon shot signals the end of the battle. | Tani Simẹnti ti akọkọ fateful tomati ti bere si ni La Tomatina Iyika? Awon otito, ko si ọkan o mo. Boya o je ohun egboogi-Franko iṣọtẹ, tabi kan Carnival ti o ni jade ninu ọwọ. Ni ibamu si awọn julọ gbajumo ti ikede awọn itan, nigba ti 1945 Festival Los Gigantes (kan omiran iwe mâché puppet Itolẹsẹ ọmọ ogun), awọn agbegbe won nwa lati ipele kan brawl lati gba diẹ ninu awọn akiyesi. Nwọn sele lori kan Ewebe fun rira nitosi ati ki o bere si hurling pọn awọn tomati. L'onlookers ni kopa ti titi ti nmu escalated sinu kan lowo melee ti flying eso. Awọn instigators ní lati san awọn tomati olùtajà, sugbon ti ko da awọn ifasẹyin diẹ tomati njà-ati awọn ibi ti titun kan atọwọdọwọ. Níbẹrù ohun unruly escalation, alase ti fi lelẹ, ihuwasi, ati ki o reinstated kan lẹsẹsẹ bans ni 1950s. Ni 1951, awọn agbegbe ti o defied ofin won ewon titi àkọsílẹ outcry ti a npe ni fun won sílẹ. Julọ olokiki effrontery si awọn tomati bans sele ni 1957 nigbati o waye proponents kan Mock tomati isinku ni pipe pẹlu kan ati ki o coffin procession. Lẹhin 1957, agbegbe ijoba pinnu lati fi eerun pẹlu awọn punches, ṣeto awọn ofin kan diẹ ninu ibi, ki o si gba esin naa wacky atọwọdọwọ. Tilẹ awọn tomati ya ile-ipele, ose kan ti festivities yorisi soke si ik showdown. O kan ajoyo ti Buñol ká patron mimo, awọn Virgin Màríà ati St Louis Bertrand, pẹlu ita parades, orin, ati ise ina ni joyous Spani njagun. Lati kọ soke rẹ agbara fun awọn impending brawl, ohun apọju paella ti wa ni yoo wa lori Efa ti ogun, showcasing ohun ala Valencian satelaiti ti iresi, onje bi eja, saffron, ati olifi epo. Loni, yi unfettered Festival ni o ni diẹ ninu awọn odiwon fun ibere. Awọn oluṣeto ti ki jina bi lati cultivate kan pataki orisirisi ti unpalatable tomati o kan fun awọn iṣẹlẹ lododun. Festivities tapa si pipa ni ayika 10 am nigbati awọn alabaṣepọ ije lati ja gba kan ti o wa titi ngbe atop kan greasy polu. Onlookers okun awọn scramblers pẹlu omi nigba ti orin ati jijo ni ita. Nigbati ijo Belii dasofo kẹfa, oko nla aba ti pẹlu awọn tomati eerun sinu ilu, nigbati chants ti "Lati-Ma-te, si-Ma-te!" de ọdọ kan crescendo. Nigbana, pẹlu awọn tita ibọn ti kan omi Kanonu, awọn iṣẹlẹ nla bere. Ti o ni ina alawọ ewe fun crushing ati gbesita ni gbogbo awọn tomati-jade ku lodi si elegbe awọn alabaṣepọ. Gun ijinna tomati lobbers, ojuami-òfo assassins, ati alabọde ibiti o kio Asokagba. Ohunkohun ti ilana rẹ, nipasẹ awọn akoko ti o ni lori, o yoo wo (ki o si lero) ohun ti o yatọ. O fere wakati kan nigbamii, tomati-soaked bombers ti wa ni sosi lati mu ninu omi kan ti squishy ita Salsa pẹlu kekere osi resembling kan tomati lati le ri. A keji Kanonu shot awọn ifihan agbara opin ogun. |