PostedAugust 31, 2022, 4:51 PM
SpainThe traditional Tomatina tomato fight has returned to Buñol
The demonstration, which attracts tens of thousands of curious people from all over the world, took place on Wednesday in eastern Spain. It had not taken place since 2019, due to the pandemic.
The famous Tomato Battle attracts thousands of tourists to the town of Buñol in eastern Spain every year.
AFP
The demonstration had not taken place since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
AFP
La Tomatina, a famous tomato fight that attracts thousands of tourists to the town of Buñol (eastern Spain), made its comeback on Wednesday, following two years of absence due to the pandemic. Some 15,000 people took part in this battle, with 130 tonnes of (very) ripe tomatoes as ammunition, according to figures provided by the town hall. The battle, which lasts an hour, is followed by a party that lasts until the evening.
A few minutes following kick-off, the city was colored red, like the clothes of the participants who are traditionally dressed in white. Many of the attendees wore sunglasses, swimming goggles or snorkeling goggles to avoid splashing in the eyes from tomatoes being unloaded from trucks or thrown by attendees from the backs of vehicles.
“We really wanted to find our beloved party once more, to be able to throw tomatoes at us once more and release all the adrenaline accumulated over the past two years,” María Vallés, in charge of tourism in this city, told the press. 9500 inhabitants. La Tomatina attracts curious people from all over the world but this year, the 20,000 tickets were not sold in full. A drop in attendance attributed, according to María Vallés, to the health restrictions remaining in force in certain countries.
Its detractors denounce food waste
The origin of the festival dates back to a dispute that occurred during the town festival in 1945 and which ended in a fight over tomatoes found on the stall of a greengrocer. Since then, critics abound to denounce food waste. “A lot of people think that we throw away food”, defends María Vallés, “but it is a tomato grown expressly for the Tomatina. If the Tomatina did not take place, we would not plant it”.
“Thanks to the Tomatina, many farmers will experience a better winter,” she concludes, referring to the orders that the municipality places with them in anticipation of the event.
(AFP)