Spain's legendary La Tomatina is back after 2 years, 'cos zindagi na milegi dobara, Covid or no Covid
If you are already in Spain or can reach Spain in a day or two, then you absolutely cannot miss the legendary La Tomatina festival. More so, because the festival is back on after a Covid-caused 2-year hiatus. So, if you want to live a day from the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, this is your chance to get some squishy tomatoes to land on your face.
When: The annual La Tomatina festival is held on the last Wednesday of August. So, this year, it falls on August 31. The festival starts at noon and the tomato battle lasts only an hour.
Where: The festival is held in Bunol, a small town of some 10,000 people in the province Valencia in Spain. It takes place in the town's main square, Plaza del Pueblo and Calle Cid.
Who: Originally a regional festival, La Tomatina now has become an international attraction, with visitors flocking from Japan, India to Australia. The festival has a capacity of 22,000 people. It is not recommended for children aged below 18 to attend or accompany their guardians.
What happens: Technically, the fun begins at around 9 am when a large greased pole with a ham attached to the top of it is hoisted in the air. People try to pull the ham down. Most of the times, it doesn't come down. Fireworks signal the start of the tomato battle. That's when the trucks full of ripe tomatoes enter the street and stop. Then the intense tomato fight begins, and goes on for an hour. Fireworks again signal the end of the festival.
Why: The La Tomatina festival doesn't have any religious origins or significance. It was invented out of an accident and a real street fight and later adopted into a favourite tradition. The story goes that in 1945 during the parade of the Giants and Bigheads, a few young boys decided to take part in the parade, angering party members present there. It resulted in a dispute near a vegetable stand and the two groups ended up throwing tomatoes in each other's faces. The festival was banned a few times in Spain's history for lacking any religious or historical context. But after protests, it was declared an official festival.
How: There are a few rules that people are advised to follow during the game. Festival goers are asked to squish the tomato before hitting someone with it. Otherwise, a direct throw can hurt the other person and even result in injuries.
Dos and Don'ts: First, here's Katrina Kaif explaining the rules of La Tomatina -
A festival involving a crowd will definitely be rowdy. So, here are some things that festival goers are asked to follow for some accident-free fun:
1. Dress comfortably. Revelers are advised to wear something that doesn't tear easily because chances are your clothes might get torn in all the mess. Do not wear or bring anything you are not comfortable losing.
2. Keep your phones in a waterproof case, strapped securely on your neck. Also, write any important phone number of you or your friends or family on your arm with a permanent marker.
3. Do not push or pull roughly. Injuries have been reported during the festival several times in the past. It is advised that revelers don't get too rough during the play and harm others. Do no throw anything other than tomatoes.
4. Wear goggles. The acidic juice from tomatoes may sting your eyes. So, it is recommended you wear swimming or skiing goggles that won't come off easily.
5. Do not bring any sharp or harmful objects. You will not be allowed to bring any harmful or sharp objects to the festival for security reasons.
6. Bringing children to the festival may not be wise as the crowd can get rowdy. Alternatively, there is usually a La Tomatina festival organised for children separately before the main festival. Your little ones can have fun there and not miss out on the tradition.
7. As you are making your way to the venue, you might get hit with a tomato or two. The locals also like to join in on the fun along with tourists, so don't be surprised if a tomato or two hits you before the festival starts.
8. Maintain distance from the trucks. It is easy for you to get under the wheels of the trucks that bring in the tomatoes in a crowd.
Fun facts: About 1,50,000 kgs of tomatoes are used in the festival. These are cultivated especially for the festival and not for the taste. They are usually overripe and low-quality and not fit for eating.
Now, in the Indian context, no mention of La Tomatina is complete without Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara:
Ever wondered how the La Tomatina scenes were shot in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara? Well, to shoot complete scenes during such a crowded festival is difficult, so the makers of ZNMD had to recreate their own set of the festival at the same venue where it takes place. Some of the scenes were also shot during the real festival.
For the clean freaks, there are showers near the festival venue for you to clean up to an extent to go back to your hotel. But if you are going to throw and get hit with some tomatoes, expect the vegetable to be stuck in your hair, nose, nails, butt crack and elsewhere for a few days.
And if you can't make it to the real one this year, check out Nintendo Animal Crossing's virtual La Tomatina gameplay.
(PS: If you are an Indian passport holder, it might be a good idea to already start planning your trip to Spain for August 2023. With the long wait for visa appointments, you won't be too early.)