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. | Tko je bacio tu prvu sudbonosnu rajčicu koja je započela La Tomatina revoluciju? Nitko zapravo ne zna. Možda je to bilo u pobuni protiv Franca, ili tijekom karnevala koji je izmakao kontroli. Prema najpopularnijoj verziji priče, 1945. za festivala Los Gigantes (parada divovskih lutaka od kaširanog papira), mještani su uprizorili tučnjavu kako bi privukli pozornost. To se zbilo pokraj obližnjih kolica s povrćem te je započelo gađanje zrelim rajčicama. Kad su se uključili i nevini promatrači, sve je eskaliralo u masovnu gungulu letećih plodova. Poticatelji su morali isplatiti prodavače rajčica, ali to nije spriječilo ponavljanje borbi rajčicama i - rađanje nove tradicije. 1950. u strahu od eskalacije nereda, vlasti donose, ukidaju i opet vraćaju niz restrikcija. Godine 1951, mještani koji su prkosili zakonu bili su zatočeni sve dok javnim prosvjedima nije postignuto njihovo oslobađanje. Najpoznatiji izgred poradi zabrane rajčica dogodio se 1957. kada su zagovornici održali podrugljiv pogreb rajčice zajedno s lijesom i procesijom. Nakon 1957., lokalna vlast odlučila je prilagoditi se, promijeniti neke zakone i prigrliti otkvačenu tradiciju. Iako je naglasak na rajčicama, postoji tjedan svečanosti koji odražava cjelokupni sentiment. To je proslava bunjolskih svetaca zaštitnika, Djevice Marije i sv. Louisa Bertranda, uz ulične parade, glazbu i vatromet u veselom španjolskom duhu. Da bi se prikupila snaga za predstojeći okršaj, uoči bitke služi se epska paella, predstavljajući izvorno jelo iz Valencije od riže, plodova mora, šafrana i maslinovog ulja. Danas je ovaj razuzdani festival do neke mjere uređen. Organizatori su otišli tako daleko da uzgajaju posebne sorte neukusnih rajčica samo za godišnji događaj. Svečanosti započinju oko 10 sati ujutro kada se sudionici utrkuju da zgrabe pršut učvršćen na vrhu namašćenog stupa. Promatrači polijevaju penjače vodom dok pjevaju i plešu ulicama. Kad zvonik udari podne, kamioni prepuni rajčica pristižu u grad, dok pjevanje "raj-či-ce, raj-či-ce!" dostiže vrhunac. Zatim, uz pucanj iz vodenog topa, započinje glavni događaj. To je zeleno svjetlo za drobljenje i lansiranje rajčica u sveopćim napadima na kolege sudionike. Udaljeni bacači rajčica, ubojice iz blizine i pogotci srednjeg dometa. Bez obzira na tehniku, kad sve ovo završi, izgledat ćete (i osjećati se) sasvim drugačije. Nekih sat vremena kasnije, rajčicom natopljeni bombarderi napuštaju igru u moru gnjecave ulične salse i tek se ponegdje još naziru preostali komadići rajčice. Drugi topovski pucanj označava kraj borbe. |