La Tomatina
La Tomatina () is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, in the east of Spain from the Mediterranean, in which participants throw tomatoes and get involved in a tomato fight purely for entertainment purposes. Since 1945 it has been held on the last Wednesday of August, during a week of festivities in Buñol. The event has been cancelled since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. History. La Tomatina Festival started the last Wednesday of August in 1945 when some young people spent time in the town square to attend the Giants and  Big-Heads figures parade. The young people decided to take part in a parade with musicians, Giants and Big-Heads figures. One participant's Big-head fell off, as a result of the festivities. The participant flew into a fit of rage, and began hitting everything in their path. There was a market stall of vegetables that fell victim to the fury of the crowd, as people started to pelt each other with tomatoes until the local forces ended the fruit battle. The following year, some young people engaged in a pre-planned quarrel and brought their own tomatoes from  home. Although the local forces broke it up, this began the yearly tradition. In the following years, the boys' example was followed by thousands of people. La Tomatina was banned in the early 1950s by Francisco Franco due to the festival's lack of religious importance, however, this did not stop the participants, who were arrested. The people protested the prohibition and the festival was again allowed with more participants. The festivity was again canceled until 1957 when, as a sign of protest, a tomato burial was held. It was a demonstration in which the residents carried a coffin with  a huge tomato inside. The parade was accompanied by a music band that played funeral marches. The protest was successful, and La Tomatina Festival was finally permitted and became an official festival. As a result of the report of Javier Basilio, a broadcaster from the Spanish television program called "Informe Semanal", the festival started to be known throughout the rest of Spain. Since then, the number of participants increased year after year as well as the excitement about La Tomatina Festival. In 2002, La Tomatina of Buñol was declared a Festivity of International Tourist Interest by the Secretary Department of  Tourism due to its popularity. The 2020 event was cancelled in April that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, and was to be the events' 75th anniversary. It had only been cancelled once before, in 1957 for political reasons. In 2021 the event was again canceled. Description. Usually, the fight lasts for about one hour, after which the town square is covered with tomato debris. Fire trucks then hose down the streets and participants often use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomatoes from their bodies. Some participants go to the Los Peñones pool to wash. The  citric acid in the tomatoes leads to the washed surfaces in the town becoming very clean. Since 2013 participation in the event has been restricted to the holders of paid tickets. In 2015, it was estimated that almost of tomatoes were thrown. The city council follows a short list of instructions for the safety of the participants and the festival: In other countries. La Tomatina Buñol has inspired similar celebrations in other parts of the world: