La Tomatina

by Sue Ann Colvin 

Photos from http://www.tomatina.es

Here in the Northwest we're waiting for our tomatoes to ripen. The bushes are overflowing with green balls of various shapes and sizes, all fighting for the sun. Our community garden will have massive quantities of ripe tomatoes all at the same time. It got me thinking about the La Tomatina festival and how it sounds both crazy and fun.

La Tomitina taks place on the last Wednesday of every August in the Valencian town of Buñol. The festival begins with palo jabón, a greased pole with a ham tied to the top. Participants must climb the greasy pole and as soon as someone is successful in freeing the ham, the festival begins.

Since 1950 this festival has meet with controversy and has been banned and sanctioned repeatedly. In 1957, the festival was banned with the threat of imprisonment against those ignoring the ban. The people of Buñol decided to organize what they called "the funeral of the tomato" They carried a coffin with a great tomato in a procession, accompanied by a band playing funeral marches.

The town finally approved the Tomatina in 1959, but imposed a rule that people could only throw tomatoes after a horn sounded and had to stop when it sounded a second time.

Between 1975 and 1980 the festival was organized by the order of San Luis Bertran, who supplied the tomatoes instead of the tradition of people bringing their own. The City Council has been providing participants with tomatoes since 1980, each year a greater tonnage than the previous year is needed. Visitors are attracted to the festival and in 2002 it was declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest. In 2008 a soundtrack was created, the song of the Tomatina Todo es del mismo color created by the rock band Malsujeto.

photo from http://www.tomatin

Today, while the climbers try to free the ham, the participants sing and dance while being showered with water from hoses. Once the ham is free a shot is fired signaling the beginning of the mayhem. Gloves and goggles are highly recommended. Men in trucks throw tomatoes into the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes are crushed before being thrown to avoid risk of injury.

The fight ends in exactly one hour with the firing of the second shot. The entire town square is left a red river of tomato juice. The streets are hosed down by fire trucks and locals lend their hoses to participants. The village cobblestone streets are then pristine due to the acidity of the tomato disinfecting and cleaning the surfaces.

The back parking lot by our garden could use a good scrubbing, maybe this could be the beginning of La Tomatina in the Northwest.