Who cast that first fateful tomato that started the La Tomatina revolution? The reality is no one knows. Maybe it was an anti-Franco rebellion, or a carnival that got out of hand. According to the most popular version of the story, during the 1945 festival of Los Gigantes (a giant paper mâché puppet parade), locals were looking to stage a brawl to get some attention. They happened upon a vegetable cart nearby and started hurling ripe tomatoes. Innocent onlookers got involved until the scene escalated into a massive melee of flying fruit. The instigators had to repay the tomato vendors, but that didn't stop the recurrence of more tomato fights—and the birth of a new tradition.
Fearful of an unruly escalation, authorities enacted, relaxed, and then reinstated a series of bans in the 1950s. In 1951, locals who defied the law were imprisoned until public outcry called for their release. The most famous effrontery to the tomato bans happened in 1957 when proponents held a mock tomato funeral complete with a coffin and procession. After 1957, the local government decided to roll with the punches, set a few rules in place, and embraced the wacky tradition.
Though the tomatoes take center stage, a week of festivities lead up to the final showdown. It's a celebration of Buñol's patron saints, the Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand, with street parades, music, and fireworks in joyous Spanish fashion. To build up your strength for the impending brawl, an epic paella is served on the eve of the battle, showcasing an iconic Valencian dish of rice, seafood, saffron, and olive oil.
Today, this unfettered festival has some measure of order. Organizers have gone so far as to cultivate a special variety of unpalatable tomatoes just for the annual event. Festivities kick off around 10 a.m. when participants race to grab a ham fixed atop a greasy pole. Onlookers hose the scramblers with water while singing and dancing in the streets. When the church bell strikes noon, trucks packed with tomatoes roll into town, while chants of "To-ma-te, to-ma-te!" reach a crescendo.
Then, with the firing of a water cannon, the main event begins. That's the green light for crushing and launching tomatoes in all-out attacks against fellow participants. Long distance tomato lobbers, point-blank assassins, and medium range hook shots. Whatever your technique, by the time it's over, you will look (and feel) quite different. Nearly an hour later, tomato-soaked bombers are left to play in a sea of squishy street salsa with little left resembling a tomato to be found. A second cannon shot signals the end of the battle. | Ai da nem trai ca chua dinh menh de bat dau cuoc cach mang La Tomatina? Su that thi khong ai biet. Co the la nhom chong Franco hay la mot hoi cho vuot qua tron. Theo nhu mot mau truyen noi tieng nhat, vao mot hoi cho Los Gigantes cua nam 1945 (mot con hinh nom giay khong lo), nguoi dan muon tao nen mot cuoc danh nhau de tao chu y. Va tinh co mot xe rau qua gan do va ho bat dau nem nhung qua ca chua. Nhung nguoi di ngang cung bat dau tham gia va su viec tro nen manh liet hon khi nhung nguoi ho cang nem moi luc mot hang len. Nhung nguoi bat dau phai tra tien cho nhung chu ban ca chua, nhung dieu nay cung chua cham dut duoc su viec nem ca chua, mot thong le moi. Lo so se tro nen mot su kien khong can noi, nhung quang chuc da dung ra ngan, roi tha long, roi lai tiep tuc de ra luat ngan can trong nhung nam 1950. Nam 1951, nhung ai pha luat nay da bi bo tu cho den khi dan chung than oan moi tha. Mot su viec xau ho va noi bat nhat cua nam 1957 xay ra khi nhung nguoi chong lai lam mot dam ma ca chua mot cach chu dao voi nghi thuc va co hinh thuc. Sau nam 1957, chinh quyen dia phuong da dong tinh voi nguoi dan va neu ra luat le va ap dung truyen thong la nay. Tuy ca chua la tam diem, nhung co mot tuan le hoi duoc xay ra truoc ngay quyet dau. Do la mot ngay cua than Buno, Duc Me Maria va Thanh Luois Bertrand duoc xay ra bang nhung dien hanh, nhac, va phao hoa theo phong cach vui cua Tay Ban Nha. De chuan be suc khoe cho bua quyet dau, mot bua tiec boi duong gom nhung mon com, do bien va dau o lieu se duoc phuc vu. Ngay nay, truyen thong nay da them phan trat tu. Nhung nha to chuc da bo cong chuan bi nhung qua ca chua hu thoi cho cuoc dau hang nam nay. Cuoc choi bat dau vao khoang 10 gio sang voi mang lay cuc ham tu dinh cua mot than cot duoc boi dau. Nhung nguoi chung quanh phun voi nuoc vao va dong thoi hat va nhay mua. Khi dong ho bao dung 12 gio trua, xe tai cho day ca chua se duoc mang toi va tieng reo "to-ma-te" se duoc vang am len ca thi tran. Sau do, mot khi mot cay sung nuoc duoc ban phat dau tien, se kien se bat dau. Viec nay cung dong nghia voi bat den xanh cho nhung nguoi tham gia bat dau nem ca chua vao nhau. Nhung ke nem xa, nhung nguoi nem gan, va nhung nguoi nem cong. Bat ke ky thuat nem nao, den khi ket thuc, ban se cam thay va nhin rat khac. Gan mot gio sau, nhung nguoi nem ca dam uoc ca chua tren nguoi se cung nhau nhay mua tren mot duong pho nhay nhua voi mot mau ca chua. Mot qua phao nuoc thi nhi se duoc ban de bao hieu cuoc choi da cham dut. |