La Tomatina

1. La Tomatina

2. Where and when does this festival take place?

3. History of the festival

4. When and how does it start? El palojabón

5. Explain what happens during the festival.

6. List the 5 rules of the festival

7. Name 5 other places around the world who have copied this festival.

8. View these websites

9. Vocabulario ¿Cómo se dice en inglés? • la batalla • combatirse • unaguerra de tomates • el pelojabón • los camioneros • los fuegos de artificio

10. Your Opinion / Tuopinión • Would you enjoy taking part? Why / why not? • What do you think this festival says about Spanish people? • Do we have anything similar in New Zealand? • What are the positive things which would result from this festival? • Do you see any negatives?

11. Fiestas in Spain • Do some internet research to find out about another festival which is celebrated in Spain. • www.donquijote.org – Spanish Fiestas • Make a powerpoint presentation for the class about your chosen festival • Give the Spanish name of the festival • Where, when, why, how is it celebrated? • Include photos

12. Answers / Respuestas • La Tomatinais held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Buñol. It is 30km from the Mediterranean near Valencia.

13. History • In 1945, during a parade of gigantes y cabezudos, young men who wanted to be in the event staged a brawl in town's main square, the Plaza del Pueblo. There was a vegetable stand nearby, so they picked up tomatoes and used them as weapons. • In 1950, the town allowed the tomato hurl to take place, however the next year it was again stopped. A lot of young people were imprisoned but the Buñol residents forced the authorities to let them go. The festival gained popularity with more and more participants getting involved every year.

14. History • In the year 1957, some young people planned to celebrate "the tomato's funeral", with singers, musicians, and comedies. The main attraction however, was the coffin with a big tomato inside being carried around by youth and a band playing the funeral marches. Considering this popularity of the festival and the alarming demand, 1957 saw the festival becoming official with certain rules and restrictions. • Another important landmark in the history of this festival is the year 1975. From this year onwards, "Los Clavarios de San Luis Bertrán" (San Luis Bertrán is the patron of the town of Buñol ) organised the whole festival and brought in tomatoes which had previously been brought by the local people. • Soon after this, in 1980, the town hall took the responsibility of organizing the festival.

15. When and how does it start? • At around 10 AM, festivities begin with the first event of the Tomatina. It is the "palojabón", similar to the greasy pole. The goal is to climb a greased pole with a ham on top. As this happens, the crowd work into a frenzy of singing and dancing while being showered in water from hoses. Once someone is able to drop the ham off the pole, the start signal for the tomato fight is given by firing the water shot in the air and trucks make their entry. The signal for the onset is at about 11 when a loud shot rings out, and the chaos begins.

16. What happens? • Several trucks throw tomatoes in abundance in the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive and are grown specifically for the holidays, being of inferior taste. For the participants the use of goggles and gloves are recommended. The estimated number of tomatoes used are around 150,000 i.e. over 40 metric tons. After exactly one hour, the fight ends with the firing of the second shot, announcing the end. The whole town square is coloured red and rivers of tomato juice flow freely. Fire Trucks hose down the streets and participants use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomato paste from their bodies. Some participants go to the pool of “los peñones” to wash.

17. The Rules / Las Reglas • The tomatoes have to be squashed before throwing to avoid injuries. • No other projectiles except tomatoes are allowed. • Participants have to give way to the truck and lorries. • The festival doesn't allow ripping off T-shirts. • After the second shot indicative of ending the tomato hurl, no tomatoes should be thrown.

18. Other Places • Since 2004 the Colombian town of Sutamarchán holds a similar event on 15 June when a surplus of tomatoes is harvested. • In Costa Rica the town of San José de Trojas (Valverde Vega Canton) celebrates a tomatinaduring the local Tomato Fair in February. • In the town of Dongguan, in China, a tomato fight is held on 19 October, during which they use up to 15 tons of tomatoes. • The City of Reno, Nevada in the United States also has an annual hour-long tomato fight that started in 2009. The event seems to take place on the last Sunday of August and is organized by the American Cancer Society. Organizers named the festival La Tomatina, and give full credit for the idea to the Spanish festival. • On February 12, 2011, at the field of Esparraguera, town of Quillón, Chile, the first version of the Great Tomato War was held. Like the Spanish Tomatina, it was a playful battle involving young people.