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. | Kush e ka hedhur domaten e pare , fatale, prej se ciles filloi revolucioni “La Tomatina”? Ne realitet askush nuk e di. Ndoshta ishte nje rebelim anti-Frankos , ose nje karnaval qe ju doli jashte kontrollit. Sipas versionit me te njohur te historise, gjate festivalit 1945 “Los Gigantes” (nje parade me kukulla gjigante te bera prej letere), vendasit ishin duke organizuar nje perleshje per te terhequr vemendjen. Ata u ndodhen te nje qerre perimesh aty prane dhe nisen te hedhin domate te pjekura. Disa shikues te pafajshem u perfshine derisa situata u pershkallezua ne nje perleshje masive te tensionuar frutash fluturuese. Nxitesit duhet ti paguanin shitesit e domateve, por kjo nuk ndali perseritjen e luftes me domate, dhe lindjen e nje tradite te re. Te frikesuar nga nje pershkallezim i padisiplinuar, autoritetet miratuan, qetesisht, dhe pastaj vendosen nje seri ndalesash ne vitin 1950. Ne vitin 1951, banoret lokale qe kundershtuan ligjin u burgosen , derisa u be nje proteste publike per lirimin e tyre. Perleshja me e famshme per ndalesen e hedhjes se domateve ndodhi ne vitin 1957 kur përkrahësit mbajtën një varrim talles te domates, me një arkivol edhe me kortezh. Pas 1957-es, qeveria lokale vendosi te perballet me te , vendosen disa rregulla , dhe perqafuan nje tradite te nje lloji tjeter. Edhe pse u vendos epiqendra tek domatet, pas nje jave festime si rrjedhim erdhi fundi.Kjo eshte nje feste e shenjtoreve mbrojtes Buñol, Virgjereshes Mari dhe Shen Louis Bertrand, me parada ne rruge, muzike, dhe fishekzjarre me modelin e gezueshem Spanjoll. Per te rritur forcen tuaj per perleshjen me te afert, sherbehet nje “Paella”epike, ne prag te betejes, duke vene ne pah nje gatim nga valencià me oriz, fruta deti, shafran, dhe vaj ulliri. Sot, ky festival i papenguar, ka disa masa rendi. Organizatoret jane kujdesur aq shume sa kane kultivuar nje varietet te pakendshem edhe te veçante domatesh, vetem per ngjarjen vjetore. Festimet fillojne rreth ores 10:00, kur Pjesemarresit vihen ne gare per te kapur nje proshute te fiksuar ne maje te nje shtylle yndyre. Shikuesit sperkasin me uje duke kenduar dhe duke hedhur valle ne rruge. Kur kembanat e kishes bijen ne mesdite, kamione te mbushura me domate mesyjne ne qytet, ndersa thirrjet e "To-ma-te, te-ma-te!" arrijne kulmin. Pastaj, me hedhjen e nje vale uji me top, ngjarja kryesore fillon. Kjo eshte drita e gjelber per fillimin e hedhjes se domateve derrmuese ne sulme te pergjithshme kunder pjesemarresve te tjere. Hedhes domatesh per distanca te largeta, goditje boshe, dhe te shtena me rreze te mesme. Cilado qofte teknika juaj, deri ne fund te kohes, ju do te dukeni (dhe do te ndjeheni) krejt te ndryshem. Gati nje ore me vone, bombarduesit domate-ngjyer jane lene te luajne ne nje det me salce rreshqitese ne rruge me pak gjasa per te gjetur nje domate. Nje e shtene e dyte me top sinjalizon fundin e betejes. |