La Tomatina Festival

“Disarray can bring joy too if performed in the right spirit”

By Sheeba Muskaan

In the small town of Bunol located 38kms from Valencia, Spain the most happening food festival or rather “the world’s biggest food fight festival” hits in where tons of thousands of people from all over the world come together to participate in this fun fight with more than 100 metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes thrown at each other to enjoy the tradition of this tangy festival. The last Wednesday of every August is popularly known for this most excitable festival.

Bunol accommodates around 20,000 lucky ones during this festival as it is a small town, getting to be a part of this festival must be considered fortunate. Most tourists prefer staying in Valencia and commute through buses and trains to the La Tomatina Festival which makes it a great road trip altogether and a fun-filled vacation during August. Shops situated here are usually covered with huge plastics to protect themselves from the mess the festival brings with it.

Plaza Del Pueblo is the centre of the city where truckloads of tomatoes are at haul before starting the festival. The trucks of tomatoes are only emptied on one traditional condition. One brave soul must climb up a two-story high, greasy wooden pole to reach the ham, only if this prize is possessed the festival begins, nevertheless the festival also begins when none can reach the prize. The squishy tomatoes come all the way from Extremadura, a place where it is extremely inexpensive. The festival begins with firing of water cannons followed by the mess.

The fight goes on for an hour after which tomatoes cannot be thrown anymore and fire engines make their way to fire water across the entire city, this water is provided by the Roman aqueduct. The authorities of the city are usually concerned about the cleanliness of the city streets than the people. Hence people usually clean themselves at the Bunol River after the festival or locals of the city host these participants with water. The whole process is just as exciting as the tomato fight. The ground is cleansed as tomato causes acidity on the streets of the city.

The town’s patron saints are honoured through this frolic festival, nevertheless there are multiple theories based on how the festival came into existence but continued as it was a joyous experience for the people of that place, hence proved with numerous travellers visiting the place just for the festival as it never fails to entertain the crowd.