La Tomatina

Tomatina festival


HISTORY
It all started on the last Wednesday of August 1945, when some young people were getting fresh air in the town square. The evening did not promise much, so they decided to form part of a parade that was taking place with musicians and carnival figures of giants and enormous headed individuals. The impetus of their entry caused the fall of a participant who full of rage, began to hit everyone in his way. By a quirk of fate, there just happened to be a stand of vegetables beside them. The angry crowd started throwing tomatoes at each other until the public law put an end to the vegetable battle


THE RULES OF THE FESTIVAL
If you want La Tomatina to continue being fun and to run smoothly, kindly follow the rules that the City Hall of Buñol recommends:
Do not carry bottles or hard objects, they can cause accidents and hurt your fellow battlers
Do not break T-shirts or throw them around
Please crush the tomatoes before you launch them, the blow will be less painful
Keep a safe distance with the trucks
Stop throwing tomatoes when you hear the second shot


implements
Tomato
Protection Masks
Swimming glasses


EVENT
At around 11 a .m., the first event of the Tomatina begins. A ham is placed upon a cockaigne pole (a large, greased pole), and the tomato fight can begin only when someone is able to climb to the top and bring it down. People struggle against each other, climbing atop one another, in order to be the one to pull down the ham. With this victory, the tomato-throwing begins.Approximately 30,000 people come to the tomato fight, multiplying by several times Buñol's normal population of 9,000. There are not many accommodations for people who come to La Tomatina , and thus many participants stay in Valencia and travel by bus or train to Buñol, about 38 km outside the city. In preparation for the dirty mess that will ensue, shopkeepers cover their storefronts in order to protect them from the carnage.



Setting
It is in the pricipal cities of spain like:
Madrid
BUÑOL
VALENCIA
Sevilla
And other cities of spain



Tradition
On the last Wednesday of August in Bunol, a small town out of Valencia, residents are preparing for the annual battle of the tomato. This event is known the world as "La Tomatina festival. It is a tradition of sixty years, which now includes forty thousand participants, and about one hundred thousand pounds of ripe tomatoes. The morning of the party, participants from around the world relax and eat the food and wine provided by the City of Buñol. Then go to the plaza in the town where they should await the arrival of the first of five trucks carrying tomatoes. When they arrive, organizers fired a rocket, indicating the beginning of the battle. The fighters, who usually wear shorts and shirts for the day's events, throw tomatoes at each other for intense one hours. The action must end with the sound of rocket second. When all has calmed down, go to the river to wash and then return to town to clean up the streets. Nobody knows exactly why the party exists, but there are a variety of theories about the origin. The most popular version says that the tradition has begun in 1945, when a group of young people have tried to enter in a procession of "figures with large heads. Have plagued the actors wore costumes and so a fight broke out. Young people have taken of tomatoes from a stall nearby, and have cast their opponents. The following year they return at the same time to repeat the battle. Since then, the "Tomatina" has been a tradition of Buñol. Although today the festival is an annual occurrence, a "Fiesta of International Tourist Interest


Practical advices
At La Tomatina you can always have fun, but if you want it to be memorable, follow the tips we give you:
Choose running shoes you don’t have mush esteem for, and tie them to your ancles. Other types of shoes can be easily lost
Wear old clothes you don’t intend to use again, they will most likely end up broken.
Diving goggles are quite convenient. The acid contained in the tomatoes can sting your eyes a lot, but leaves your skin clean and soft.
If you want to take pictures, use a waterproof camera.
If you want to see better, never go up railings, windows, pillars, etc., you will become a perfect target for all the tomatoes
If you're an outsider and you want to spend the night in Buñol, make sure you look for accommodation in advance.
Do not miss the soap stick: a soap smeared pole with a ham hanging on the top. Whoever gets to the ham, keeps it.
And, of course, enjoy the most of it. It’s marvellous to do something as absurd as throwing tomatoes to everyone for an hour.