La Tomatina
The Tomatina is a festival that takes place every year on the Wednesday of the last week of August in Buñol (approx. 10,000 inhabitants) in the Spanish region of Valencia.
In the solid to the thousands (about 45,000 in the years 2010 and 2011) from around the world flock here, over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in a harmless battle through the streets. The already over-ripe tomatoes are tons of tilted by truck in the streets of Buñol, so that veritable rivers of tomato juice run after the battle through the streets. The visitors are usually no Spaniard, but come as tourists from all continents of the world, from Europe, America or Australia.
The center of the battle is the Plaza del Pueblo, at the beginning against 10 clock occurs the so-called ham storms. It is trying to climb up a about 7 meters high, waxed tree trunk to get to the ham (Spanish jamón ).
The real battle starts at item 11 clock noon and ends one hour later. After the throwing of tomatoes is no longer permissible, this is observed as a code of honor. To prevent severe injuries, it is prescribed by the regulations, to crush the tomatoes before throwing in his hand. In addition, the suppliers are instructed to provide only overripe fruit. After the battle, there are helpful residents who rid the tourists garden hose of chopped tomatoes or mobile showers at the station. Next is that all colleagues consider it as Code to help after the battle while cleaning the streets.
The Tomatina was first held in the 1940s. The tomato fight was simply invented for fun; it has neither a religious nor a political background. Accurate white but apparently no one. One version says for example, that passers-by threw a street musician with tomatoes and this promptly responded by throwing back the tomatoes. Another version refers to a neighborhood dispute. It also circulates a variant in which there was at an anti- Franco - demonstration to the first battle, which would refute the non-political background. Next is reported that local residents came during a procession in honor of the city father in a scuffle.
The Tomatina 2004 was included in the Guinness Book of World Records. 38,000 people had for one hour pelted each other with 125,000 kg tomatoes.
In 2005 and 2011, the Tomatina took place on 31 August in Buñol. Since 2004 the place has Sutamarchán in Colombia its own version of La Tomatina.
2013, the number of participants was first limited by a ticket system to 20,000. For locals 5,000 free tickets were reserved, the remaining 15,000 were sold at a price of € 10.