La Tomatina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids La Tomatina |
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|---|---|
| Official name | La Tomatina |
| Observed by | Buñol, Valencia, Spain |
| Date | Last Wednesday in August |
| 2024 date | August 28 |
| 2025 date | August 27 |
| 2026 date | August 26 |
| 2027 date | August 25 |
| Frequency | annual |
La Tomatina is a super fun Spanish festival held in Buñol, Spain. It's famous for being the world's biggest food fight! During this exciting event, people throw tomatoes at each other. It started as a small food fight among friends in the 1940s. Now, it's a huge tourist attraction that draws people from all over the world. Before 2013, anyone could join. But now, only 20,000 people can get tickets to take part in this amazing tomato battle.
Contents
Discover the History of La Tomatina
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La Tomatina festival began on the last Wednesday of August in 1945. Some young people were watching a parade in the town square. Suddenly, a participant's "Big-head" costume fell off. This made them very angry, and they started hitting everything nearby.
There was a vegetable stall close by. The angry crowd started throwing tomatoes at each other! Local police quickly stopped the fruit fight.
How the Tomato Fight Became a Tradition
The next year, those same young people planned another tomato fight. They even brought their own tomatoes from home. The police broke it up again, but this event started a yearly tradition. In the years that followed, thousands of people joined in.
Challenges and Protests for the Festival
In the early 1950s, the festival was banned by Francisco Franco. He thought it wasn't important enough. But this didn't stop people from participating, even if it meant getting arrested. People protested the ban, and the festival was allowed again.
It was canceled once more until 1957. As a protest, people held a "tomato funeral." They carried a coffin with a giant tomato inside. A music band played sad funeral songs. This protest worked! La Tomatina was finally allowed and became an official festival.
La Tomatina Becomes World Famous
The festival became known across Spain thanks to a TV report by Javier Basilio. He was a broadcaster for a Spanish TV show called Informe Semanal. After this report, more and more people joined La Tomatina every year.
In 2002, La Tomatina was declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest. This means it's a very popular event that attracts many tourists.
Recent Cancellations
The 2020 festival was supposed to be its 75th anniversary. However, it was canceled in April 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. It had only been canceled once before, in 1957, for political reasons. The 2021 event was also canceled due to COVID-19.
Experience the La Tomatina Festival
Before the big tomato fight, there are other fun events. These include a paella cooking contest and fireworks. Music bands and parades fill the medieval city center.
The "Palo Jabón" Challenge
On Wednesday morning, the first event is the "Palo Jabón." This means "greased pole." It's a tall, slippery pole with a piece of ham at the very top. People try to climb the pole to get the ham. They often climb on each other to reach it! While they climb, others sing and dance. Everyone gets sprayed with water from hoses. Once the ham falls, the tomato battle begins!
The Epic Tomato Battle
The tomato fight usually lasts for about one hour. After that, the town square is covered in squashed tomatoes. Fire trucks then spray water to clean the streets. Many participants also use hoses provided by locals to wash the tomatoes off themselves. Some even go to the Los Peñones pool to clean up. The acid in the tomatoes helps clean the town's surfaces very well!
Since 2002, only 20,000 people with paid tickets can join. In 2015, people threw about 145,000 kilograms (about 320,000 pounds) of tomatoes!
Safety Rules for the Tomato Fight
The city council has a few rules to keep everyone safe and make sure the festival is fun:
- Do not throw anything except tomatoes.
- Do not tear anyone's clothes.
- Squash tomatoes before throwing them so they don't hurt anyone.
- Keep a safe distance from the trucks carrying tomatoes.
- Stop throwing tomatoes after the second starter pistol shot.
- Always listen to the security staff.
- Only throw tomatoes at people you can see.
- Do not throw tomatoes directly at buildings.
- Have a great, fun time!
La Tomatina Around the World
La Tomatina in Buñol has inspired similar celebrations in other countries:
- In Twin Lakes, Colorado, USA, they have a "Colorado-Texas Tomato War" since 1982. People from Texas and Colorado throw tomatoes at each other.
- The Colombian town of Sutamarchán has a similar event on June 15. This happens when they have too many tomatoes from their harvest.
- In Costa Rica, the town of San José de Trojas celebrates a Tomatina. This is part of their local Tomato Fair.
- The city of Dongguan in China holds a tomato fight on October 19. They use up to 15 tons of tomatoes!
- Reno, Nevada in the United States also has an annual tomato fight. It started in 2009 and is organized by the American Cancer Society.
- In India, some states like Karnataka and cities like Delhi have banned similar events. They believe it wastes tomatoes.
- Funtasia Island, Patna, India, hosted a "La Tomatina Holi" event in 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Tomatina para niños
- Carnival of Ivrea, an orange fight in Italy
- Gorehabba, a cow dung fight in India
- Haro Wine Festival, a wine fight in Spain
- Pidakala War, a cow dung fight in India
- Songkran, water fights in Thailand
Events in Spain
- Fiestas of International Tourist Interest of Spain
- Running of the bulls
