La Tomatina

Country Spain Valencia Buñol

Date The last Wednesday of August And begins at 11 am- about 12 or 1 pm.

Origin The tomato fight has been a strong tradition in Buñol since 1944 or 1945. No one is completely certain how this event originated.

Possible theories on how the Tomatina began include a local food fight Possible theories on how the Tomatina began include a local food fight . Teenagers throw tomatoes from bystanders at a bad musician as a joke at a carnival parade. One of the most popular theories is that disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with tomatoes during a town celebration.

Whatever happened to begin the tradition, it was enjoyed so much that it was repeated the next year, and the year after that, and so on. The holiday was banned during the Spanish State period under Francisco Franco for having no religious significance, but returned in the 1970s after his demise.

Now , the La Tomatina is the last event of a weeklong festival in honor of Buñol’s patron saint San Luis Bertran.

How does the fight begin ? First all the people gather in the Plaza. Then there is a Ham placed atop a greased pole. The festivities cannot begin until someone grabs the ham.

What happened next ? In order to instigate the patrons they use water cannons to spray everyone. This gets everyone ready for the tomatoes. It also puts people on edge anxious for the fight to begin.

Tomatoes ! The lorries (trucks) Bring in the tomatoes. People can ride in the trucks as well. Must follow : Crush the tomato before hurling it .

The Fighting Begins

The Aftermath

Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatina http://hk.travel.yahoo.com/070520/321/27siq.html http://astro.temple.edu/~tua30979/La%20Tomatina.ppt http://web.nchu.edu.tw/~octavioliu/latomatina.htm

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