La Tomatina
LA TOMATINA FESTIVAL, BUNOL, SPAIN
La Tomatina is a largest food fight festival in the world which is held in the Valencian town of Bunol, Spain. It is held on the last Wednesday of August every year. This festival required the visitors to throw approximately 40,000 tomatoes and get involved in this tomatoes fight just for fun every year.
The history of this festival was started on the last Wednesday of August 1945. During that time, the town square, where the “tomatina” is traditionally held nowadays, was crowded with young people to watch a Gigantes and Cabezudos parade (a giant carnival figures with a grotesque head). Suddenly, one of the participants fell down and when he stood up, he started to beat everyone around and as the result, everybody got caught in a fight. The young people involved in the fight took any tomatoes or vegetables from the vegetables stall nearby and started to throw them each other until the police broke up the battle and those responsible for the riot need to pay for the damages. The next year on the same Wednesday of August the youths of the town met again but this time with their own tomatoes.
This festival had been banned for so many times and only approved when the council understanding that the tomatoes only can be thrown at specific time. It was proceeding every year until 1983, the report from RTVE television station made this festival increased its profile significantly. Reflecting this increasing popularity, on the 27 August 2002 it was awarding as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest by General Tourism Office.
Since that declaration, a large tourism industry had developed around Bunol during La Tomatina festival celebration. The tourists also want to take part in this tomatoes fight so they want to stay there in order to feel the celebration by themselves. At that time, all the cheap hotels and hostels had recorded increasing in booking. A village of 9,000 souls typically grows to around 30,000 during La Tomatina
La Tomatina is a largest food fight festival in the world which is held in the Valencian town of Bunol, Spain. It is held on the last Wednesday of August every year. This festival required the visitors to throw approximately 40,000 tomatoes and get involved in this tomatoes fight just for fun every year.
The history of this festival was started on the last Wednesday of August 1945. During that time, the town square, where the “tomatina” is traditionally held nowadays, was crowded with young people to watch a Gigantes and Cabezudos parade (a giant carnival figures with a grotesque head). Suddenly, one of the participants fell down and when he stood up, he started to beat everyone around and as the result, everybody got caught in a fight. The young people involved in the fight took any tomatoes or vegetables from the vegetables stall nearby and started to throw them each other until the police broke up the battle and those responsible for the riot need to pay for the damages. The next year on the same Wednesday of August the youths of the town met again but this time with their own tomatoes.
This festival had been banned for so many times and only approved when the council understanding that the tomatoes only can be thrown at specific time. It was proceeding every year until 1983, the report from RTVE television station made this festival increased its profile significantly. Reflecting this increasing popularity, on the 27 August 2002 it was awarding as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest by General Tourism Office.
Since that declaration, a large tourism industry had developed around Bunol during La Tomatina festival celebration. The tourists also want to take part in this tomatoes fight so they want to stay there in order to feel the celebration by themselves. At that time, all the cheap hotels and hostels had recorded increasing in booking. A village of 9,000 souls typically grows to around 30,000 during La Tomatina