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. | Yaa xoogaas u tuuray yaanyadaas fiican oo bilaabay kacaanka damaashaadka yaanyada? Runta waa qofna ma oga. Waxay ilatahay inay aheyd falaagooyinka kacaankii Franco, ama dabaaldag gacanta ka baxay. Sida laga soo xigtay sheekada kuwa loogu jacelyahay, xiliga lagu guda jiray 1945 tii dabaaldaga Loos Jaygaantes (Los Gigantes ee kolonyada boombalaha ugu muhiimsan), deegaankii waxay daawanayeen marxalada dagaalka ku weynaado. Waxay ku dhaceen dusha gaarigacan qudaar dhinaciisa iyo waxaa bilaabatay kala orodka yaanyadii kartay. Daawadayaasha dambi laawaha ahaa ayaa soo dhaxgalay ilaa goobtii ay isku badashay qeylo weyn oo mirro buubaayo. Fidno oogayaashii waa inay dib u bixiyaan lacagta yaanyo iibiyaha, laakin taas ma istaajinin isku dhacyada soo noqnoqnayo ee yaanyada badan—iyo dhalashada dhaqan cusub. Cabsida falaagada weynaaneyso, maamulka dhaqangeliyay, nastay, iyo kadibna soo celiyay mamnuuca taxanaha ah dhexdii 1950 meeyadii. Dhexdii 1951 dii, deegaanka kuwa jabiyay sharciga waa la xeray ilaa mudaaharaadka bulshada ay ugu yeeraan siideyntooda. Xushmad la'aanta ugu caansanaa ee mamnuuca yaanyada waxay dhacday 1957 goortii udoodayaasha ay u qabteen matalaada tacsida yaanyada oo lagu dhamystiro sanduuqa meedka iyo kooxda tacsida. 1957 kadib, dawlada hoose waxay go'aansatay inay duubaan xermooyin, dhoor sharciyo meel ku habeeyen, iyo isku duubeen dhaqankii aan caadiga aheyn. Inkastoo xarunta masraxa yaanyada laga qaado, hal isbuuc oo dabaal dag ah uu socday ilaa tusmada hoose ee ugu dambeysay. Waa dabaaldaga sheeqa deeq bixiyaha magaalada Buñol, Wadada Fijin iyo Meeri (Virgin Mary and St). oo wadooyinka kolonyada leh, muusiko, iyo shaqadadabka ee faashinka farxada Isbaanishka (Spanish). Dhisida awoodaada dagaalka dhaqsida dhaco, saxan raashiin oo weyn ayaa la siiyay farxada dagaalka, soo bandhigayo saxan bariis cajiib ah ee Falensiyaan (Valencian), cuntadabadda, xawaaji, iyo saliida miraha. Maanta, dabaaldagaan xurta ah waxay leedahay amaro qiyaasan. Qabanqaabiyayaasha waxay sameeyeen ilaa hadeer sida diyaarinta yaanyada aan adkeyn ee gaarka kaladuwan ah oo loogu talagalay dhacdada sanadlaha ah. Dabaaldagyada waxay bilaawdeen 10 ka subax nimo. markay ka soo qeybgalayaasha ay ku tartameen inay soo qabsadaan hilib diyaarsan oo dulsaaran gabalo cadiin ah. Daawadayaasha waxay ku yeerinayeen tubada iyo biyo ayagoo heesayo iyo ku cayaarayo wadooyinka Goortii gambaleelka kaniisada uu yeero galabtii, baabuurta ku raseynsan yaanyada waxay aadaan magaalada, ayagoo ku heesayo, ''Ya-an-yo, ya-an-yo!'' gaaray qaylo. Kadibna, ay lajiraan toogashada biyaha qoriga weyn, dhacdada ugu muhiimsan way bilaabatay. Taasi waa nalka cagaaran oo ah burburinta iyo bilaabista yaanyada oo weeraro ka dhacay ka qeybgalayaasha oo dhan. Masaafo dheer oo guusha yaanyada ah, ku aadi dilka meel maran, iyo dhaxdhaxaadka darbada birta kala duwan Waxwalbo oo farsamadaada tahay, marka ay dhamaato, waxaad u ekaaneysaa (iyo dareemeysaa) isbadal weyn. Ku dhawaadkii, saacad kadib, qarciyaasha yaanyada-qoyan ayaa lagu reebaa si loogu ciyaaro bada laysku keenay iyo ciyaarta wadada oo ay lajiraan haraa yar oo yaanyo isu eg ayaa laga helaa. Toogashada madfaca labaad waxuu bilaabanayaa dhamaadka dagaalka. |