La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, in which participants throw tomatoes at each other. It is held the last Wednesday in August, during the week of festivities of Buñol.
Several trucks throw tomatoes in abundance in the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive and are grown specifically for the holidays, as they are not in good taste for consumption. For the participants the use of goggles and gloves is recommended. The tomatoes must be crushed before being thrown as to not hurt anyone.
After exactly one hour, the fight ends with the firing of the second case announcing the end. The whole (town) square is colored red and rivers of tomato juice form. The process of street cleaning is done by fire trucks. Participants use hoses that neighbors give them to remove the tomato paste from their bodies. Some come to the pool of “los peñones” to wash. After cleaning the village cobblestone streets are pristine due to the acidity of the tomato it disinfects and thoroughly cleans all surfaces.
Controversy
The Average person eats five (5) pounds of food per day. If during La Tomatina there are over 90,000 pounds of tomatoes used then by means of a simple calculation the food wasted during this festival could feed eighteen thousand (18 000) starving people for a day or fifty (50) starving people for a year.
