English
You´ve surely been in many interesting festivals, but if you´ve never lived from close up the world´s biggest tomato war you´re missing out on the super famous Tomatina. This event has become one of the most important summer activities in the whole of Spain, not only for its peculiarity but also because of the thousands of visitors from around the world that delight themselves with this Valencian tradition.
At 10am of the last Wednesday in August (this year it´s the 31st), Tomatina begins with quite a peculiar activity called the ´Palo Jabón´ which is soaping up a post and placing a ham on the top with the aim to spur on the braver ones to climb the post and get the meaty prize, which a bunch of spectators sing traditional songs. Once someone manages to get the ham, the sign for the beginning of the tomato battle is given. Lorries full of tomatoes that come from Extremadura give out provisions to the happy participants, while the streets become red rivers. An hour later, the second sign is given and the happiest battle in Spain is officially over.
Before participating in the Tomatina, you need to take into account the following recommendations:
1. Bring some extra clothes so that when the battle finishes you can change in the public toilets close to the river.
2. Use glasses, you surely don´t want a tomato to fall on your face!
3. Avoid bringing any type of bottles or any object that can harm someone.
4. Be very careful with the lorries that give out the tomatoes.
5. Throw tomatoes only when the sign is given out.
6. Squash the tomatoes before throwing them.
7. Bring your best mood and enjoy the party.
The whole population of Buñol, the town where Tomatina takes place, is of more or less 10,000 people. This number goes up to 40,000 during the days of the event. Due to the reduced population number, Buñol doesn´t possess a developed hotel infrastructure, so it´s very difficult to get accommodation in the same town. What most travellers do is to get accommodation in Valencia and visit Buñol during the Tomatina, because there are available trains which run frequently which take under an hour to get to Buñol.
For more information visit: http://www.tomatina.es/
Hans
Although the festival is broadcast live on some of the national TV channels, you won´t want to miss out on one of the happiest festivals in the world, so get apartments in Valencia and long live tomatoes!
Translated by: aleixgwilliam
