TOMATINA
FESTIVAL IN SPAIN
The
annual Tomatina festival in Buñol, near Valencia where around 40,000 people
from all over the world take part in an event in which participants throw 120
tonnes of tomatoes in a mass 'food fight'.The Spanish LOVE to eat tomatoes and according to
Fruittoday Euromagazine, they eat 17 kilos per person annually! As with all
Mediterranean cuisines, the tomato is an essential ingredient of Spanish
cooking. The Spanish eat tomatoes every day and prepare them in a variety of
ways, including fresh, crushed, stewed or simmered in a sauce. Tomato sauce is
served on the side with fried eggs, chicken, meat and omelets at most Spanish
dinner tables.Since one of the principal tomato-growing regions of Spain is the
southeast, including Murcia and Valencia, it seems appropriate that the famous
tomato fight takes place in Buñol, just west of the capital city of Valencia.It's not too hard to understand that La Tomatinafestival started by
accident. According to all accounts, there was a parade and festival in Buñol
on the last Wednesday of August of 1945 when a fight broke out between some
young men. Taking advantage of a nearby fruit and vegetable vendor’s stall,
they threw tomatoes at each other. The police broke up the altercation and
those responsible ended up paying restitution to the tomato vendor.Apparently
planning ahead, the following year the young people brought tomatoes with them
to the parade and started a tomato fight again. Each year the fight continued
until the early 1950’s when it was prohibited by order of the town council, but
some townsfolk insisted on creating a fight and were thrown in jail. Protests
ensued, including a “Tomato Funeral” and finally, in 1957 the town council
allowed the fight to continue. In fact, since 1980 the city government has
provided the tomatoes!
The celebration continue to take place on the last Wednesday in
August in the plaza mayor of Buñol. The tomatina starts at 11:00am with the sound of a
rocket being fired and ends one hour later. Last year 40,000 people were
expected to participate in throwing over 100 tons of ripe tomatoes in the
streets and this year even more are expected On August 7, revellers in Hyderabad took part in a re-enactment of
the traditional Spanish festival of La Tomatina to celebrate Friendship Day.But when an organizer in Delhi tried to
host a similar event in the Capital, it drew a lot of criticism forcing the
programme to be called off at the last moment. Now, the buzz is that Kolkata
too is preparing to host a similar event in a water park on October 16. The
organizers have already got as many as 1,800 enthusiasts who want to
participate in the event.The
original La Tomatina Festival is held on the last Wednesday of August each year
in the town of Bunol near Valencia in Spain. It began sometime in 1944/1945
though no one is exactly certain about the origin of this Festival. Thousands
of people from all parts of the world come to attend the "World's Biggest
Food Fight" where more than 100 metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are
thrown in the streets. The week-long Festival features music, parades, dancing
and fireworks. On the night before the tomato fight, participants of the
Festival compete in a paella cooking contest too. Participants are advised to
wear safety goggles and gloves. In addition, they must squish the tomatoes
before throwing for safety precautions. Another rule is that no one is allowed
to carry anything that might lead to a serious brawl. Although it is forbidden
to tear someone else's clothing, the crowd invariably rips the shirt of any
clothed person. However, Sourav is clear that ripping off clothes will be
strictly prohibited at the Kolkata event.While
there is a lot of excitement about the event, criticism has been flying in
thick and strong. Says Rupsha Dasgupta, wife of singer Rupam, "We have
been taught never to waste food. These guys are comparing this festival with
Holi and Diwali! What they fail to understand is that in Holi and Diwali,
people who make the crackers and colours, benefit from us buying them. But
these tomatoes would not have gone to waste in our country had they not
organized such a festival. In Spain, such a festival can be organized because
they use over-ripe tomatoes which otherwise would have gone to waste. But that
certainly isn't the case in Kolkata. This is shameful."
Prof.
John Kurakar
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