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. | Min tefa’ dik l-ewwel tadama li kellha tkun il-bidu tar-rivoluzzjoni tat-Tomatina? Il-verità hi li ħadd ma jaf. Forsi kienet xi rivolta kontra Franco, jew xi karnival li qabeż il-limiti. Skont l-aktar verżjoni popolari tal-istorja, waqt il-festival tal-Los Gigantes (parata ta’ maskeruni ġganteski tal-kartapesta) tal-1945, xi nies tal-lokal riedu jaqilgħu l-inkwiet biex jiġbu l-attenzjoni. Inzertaw karrettun tal-ħaxix fil-viċin u bdew igaraw it-tadam misjur. Daħlu fl-istorja ħafna li ma kellhomx x’jaqsmu sakemm l-affari kibret u saret pandemonju ta’ frott itir ma’ kullimkien. Dawk li instigaw l-affari kellhom iħallsu lill-bejjigħa tat-tadam, iżda dan ma xekkilx ir-rikkorrenza ta’ aktar ġlidiet tat-tadam – u t-twelid ta’ tradizzjoni ġdida. Fis-snin 50, beżgħana li l-affari teskala bla kontroll, l-awtoritajiet nedew, illaxkaw u reġgħu daħħlu fis-seħħ serje ta’ projbizzjonijiet. Fl-1951, in-nies tal-post li sfidaw il-liġi ntefgħu l-ħabs sakemm l-għagħa mill-pubbliku wassal bix jinħelsu. L-aktar sfida sfaċċata li baqgħet tissemma’ kontra l-projbizzjonijiet tat-tomatina seħħet fl-1957 meta l-proponenti organizzaw taparsi-funeral bit-tebut u l-purċissjoni b’kollox. Wara l-1957, il-gvern lokali ddeċieda li jmur mal-kurrent, stipula ftit regoli u ħaddan din it-tradizzjoni tal-bluha. Għalkemm it-tadam huma l-qofol ta’ kollox, ġimgħa ta’ festivitajiet iwasslu sal- konfront finali. Hija ċelebrazzjoni tal-qaddisin patruni ta’ Buñol, il-Verġni Marija u San Alwiġi Bertrand, b’parati fit-toroq, mużika u logħob tan-nar skont il-mod ferrieħi Spanjol. Biex isostnuk għat-taqtigħa imminenti, lejliet il-battalja jservu paella epika, espożizzjoni ta’ platt ikonika ta’ Valenzja magħmul mir-ross, frott tal-baħar, żafran u żejt taż-żebbuġa. Illum, din il-festa mingħajr xkiel għandha ċertu ordni. L-organizzaturi saħansitra waslu biex ikkultivaw varjetà speċjali ta’ tadam, mhux tajbin għall-ikel, apposta għal dan l-avveniment ta’ kull sena. Il-festivitajiet jibdew madwar l-għaxra ta’ filgħodu meta l-parteċipanti jtellqu biex jaħtfu perżuta mdendla mill-quċċata ta’ arblu midluk bix-xaħam. L-ispettaturi jaħslu x-xabbaturi bil-pajpijiet tal-ilma waqt li jkantaw u jiżfnu fit-toroq. Hekk kif il-qanpiena tal-knisja ddoqq nofsinhar, trakkijiet mgħobbija bit-tadam jidħlu fil-belt, waqt li l-kant ta’ “To-ma-te, to-ma-te” jilħaq l-aqwa tiegħu. Imbagħad, mal-isparar ta’ kanun tal-ilma, jibda l-avveniment ewlieni. Dak ikun is-sinjal għat-tgħaffiġ u l-garar tat-tadam f’attakki sfrenati fuq il-parteċipanti l-oħrajn. Min jillobbja t-tadam mill-bogħod, min jattakka wiċċ imb’wiċċ u min igara aktar bis-sengħa. Hi x’inhi t-teknika ppreferuta, meta tintemm tkun tidher (u tħossok) għal kollox differenti. Kważi siegħa wara, il-bumbardieri għasra bit-tadam jitħallew jilgħabu f’baħar ta’ zalza mmerrqa fit-triq fejn diffiċli ssib xi ħaġa li tixbaħ tadama sħiħa. Tir ieħor tal-kanun iħabbar it-tmiem tal-battalja. |