La Tomatina
Buñol, España
The sunny Mediterranean city of Valencia in Spain is world-renowned for its tasty and succulent
oranges. And just thirty miles away is Buñol, another town just as famous for its
When?
produce. But its notoriety comes from the locals' habit of wearing the produce as
well as tasting it: every year, Buñol hosts La Tomatina, the world's largest
La Tomatina takes place
vegetable fight. Situated only 30 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean Sea,
on the last Wednesday
and well-connected by motorway and rail to Madrid and Valencia, this charming
of August
town erupts into a fiery blaze of tomato-hurling on the last Wednesday of every
Factoids
August. The batalla (“battle”) takes place during a week-long celebration filled
- There is no political or
with on-going festivities and with even greater anticipation for the monstrous
religious significance to
tomato battle that serves as the culmination of the week's events.
Without question the biggest tomato fight in the world, La Tomatina started with
a good laugh. During the forties, in Buñol's main town square, a number of
friends started a tomato fight for unknown reasons. It's unclear whether the initial
volley was aimed at city officials or simply pedestrians unlucky enough to be in
the line of fire. Soon enough, however, with their rowdy hooliganism drawing
passers-by into the fray, everyone was having a great time. They had so much
fun, in fact, that from that day forward, the fiesta has been celebrated annually
and has grown ever bigger each year.
In an effort to draw more tourism (and therefore more targets) into the small town
of Buñol, La Tomatina has blossomed into a full-blown fiesta (“party”) that
coincides with the festival for the town's patron saint. For a week leading up to
the epic battle, the 20,000-strong town of Buñol, is filled with parades, fireworks,
food and street parties. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow streets
beneath the town's imposing Medieval bell tower are filled with tomatoes, in a
much more palatable form than they will be the next day! Cauldrons of delectable
paella (a Spanish seafood stew), simmered over wood-burning fires, line the
Concurso des Paellas, a street near the Plaza del Pueblo. Wine and food flow
around the small town until the wee hours.
Then, early Wednesday morning, shopkeepers and business owners along the
Plaza set about covering windows and doors in preparation for the messy
onslaught. Large trucks rumble up the cobblestone streets to arrive in the crowdfilled square and, from the back of the huge trucks, official instigators begin
ceremoniously pelting the awaiting throng with their precious cargo: sloppy,
squishy tomatoes trucked in from the four corners of Spain.
Dressed in clothing doomed for the rubbish bin, more than 20,000 people retaliate
against the truckers, each other and anything else that strays within range of their
hand-crushed veggie blobs. Soon the streets are awash in seeds, pulp and tomato
guts - possibly one of the best starts to a great marinara sauce to be found west of
Mont Blanc.
The insanity ensues until more than 90,000 pounds of tomatoes have been hurled
at anything with a pulse that ducks, runs, stops, turns about, or fights back. For
visiting tourists, be aware that anyone with a camera or a baseball cap will be
considered a prime target. Like all good battles, the assault is over in less than
half an hour. Everyone then reconciles with their former targets and fellow
warriors and heads down to the river to remove the saucy mess from hair and
body.
La Tomatina, it's just
good, messy fun.
- Participants who show
up from around the
world: 20,000
- Number of tomatoes
used: 150,000 ...that's
over 90,000 pounds of
tomatoes!
- Former Vice President
Dan Quayle's plural of
tomato: tomatos
-Correct plural of
tomato: tomatoes.
- Buckets of water are
thrown at the crowds
first by the fight
instigators in the tomato
trucks, as a
foreshadowing of the
veggie barrage to come.
- After the battle, you
can hose off the splatter
on the riverbank, where
the town slaps together
makeshift public
showers.
- Every year, the fight is
nationally televised by
the most prestigious
agencies in Spain.
Do not write on this paper. Record all answers on a sheet of
paper
LA TOMATINA
Antes de Leer – Answer these questions in complete sentences BEFORE you read the article.
1. When you read the word tomatina what vegetable comes to mind?
2. Think of a festival that takes place in your city or neighborhood. What is it like? What events
are there? Is there food?
3. Have you ever been involved in a food fight? How did it start? Was it fun? What were the
consequences of the food fight? If you’ve never been in a food fight, do you think it would be
fun to be involved in one?
4. Based on the word tomatina and the questions above, what do you think the article you are
going to read will be about?
Después de Leer - Read the article carefully, and then answer the questions that follow.
5. Write a brief summary of what La Tomatina is.
6. What item is thrown at spectators during La Tomatina?
7. When does La Tomatina take place each year?
8. What country and city does La Tomatina take place in?
9. Describe the significance of La Tomatina. Is it a religious or political festival?
10. How and when did La Tomatina get started?
11. How many people participate in La Tomatina?
12. How many tomatoes are used during La Tomatina? How many pounds of tomatoes are used?
13. How long does the celebration last for?
14. Describe the type of person in the crowd who would be most likely to have a tomato thrown at
him or her.
15. What happens the night before La Tomatina?
16. What happens Wednesday morning in preparation for the fight?
17. How long does the actual fight last for?
18. Where does everyone go after the tomato fight to clean up?
19. Would you want to participate in La Tomatina, why or why not?
20. Is La Tomatina wasteful? Do you think this festival should continue, why or why not?
21. Think of American festivals that use food (i.e. pie eating contests, hot dog eating contests, etc.)
Do you also think these festivals are wasteful? How are they similar or different from La
Tomatina?
22. If the town of Buñol still wanted to have a Tomato festival every year, but didn’t want to be as
wasteful, what could be some alternatives to throwing tomatoes?
23. What do you think the positive impact of La Tomatina is on the economy of Buñol? Is there a
negative economic impact?
La Tomatina Crossword
Across
4. __________________ is the city where La Tomatina takes place each year.
5. __________________ is the day of the week when La Tomatina takes place (translate to Spanish)
7. ________________ is a Spanish seafood stew.
10. Buñol is situated only 30 kilometers inland from the _________________ Sea.
12. Buckets of _______________ are poured on the participants before the tomatoes are thrown
13. __________________ is the month when La Tomatina takes place (translate to Spanish)
14. La Tomatina originated in this decade: ______________.
15. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow streets beneath the town's imposing ______________
bell tower are filled with tomatoes
Down
1. The seafood stew is served near the _____________ des Paellas, a street near the Plaza del Pueblo.
2. La _____________ is the name of the famous vegetable-throwing festival (do not include La)
3. Using a _______________ or wearing a baseball cap will make you an easy target for the tomatothrowing mob.
6. Following the fight everyone heads down to the _______________ to clean off the tomato juice.
8. ________________ is the Spanish word for battle.
9. Every year the fight is nationally _______________ so people all around Spain can watch it.
11. _____________________ is the correct plural, English spelling of tomato.
Answer Sheet
Nombre __________________
Fecha __________________
Hora _______
Write all answers below. This paper due at the end of class.
LA TOMATINA
Antes de Leer – Answer these questions in complete sentences BEFORE you read the article.
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