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. | 是谁掷出了那第一颗决定性的番茄,以此开启了番茄大战(La Tomatina)的革命?事实已无从稽考。那也许起始于一场反抗弗朗哥的叛乱,或是一次失了控的嘉年华。根据该故事流传最广的版本,在1945年巨人节(festival of Los Gigantes)(巨大纸糊人偶的游行)期间,当地人正寻找机会上演一场斗殴以获取关注。他们碰巧在附近发现了一辆蔬菜推车,于是开始投掷成熟的番茄。无辜的旁观者被卷入其中,直至现场升级为一场大规模的飞行水果的混战。煽动者们不得不赔偿番茄卖家的损失,但这并没有阻止更多番茄大战的再次上演——以及一项新传统的诞生。 由于害怕活动升级到难以控制的程度,在二十世纪五十年代,当局先后颁布,放宽,又恢复了一系列针对此活动的禁令。1951年,以身试法的当地人曾被投入监狱,在强烈的舆论呼声下才被释放。对番茄禁令最著名的冒犯发生在1957年。当时,支持者们举行了一次模拟的番茄葬礼,并以落棺和游行为活动划上句号。1957年之后,当地政府决定顺势而为,适当地设置了一些规则,并接纳了这一疯癫的传统。 尽管番茄唱了主角,一周以来的庆祝活动也为这最后的狂欢造势不少。这是一个庆祝布尼奥尔镇的守护神圣母玛利亚和圣路易斯•波特朗的节日,相伴的是洋溢着欢乐西班牙风情的街头游行、音乐和焰火。为了在即将到来的大战中增强你的力量,在大战前夜可以吃上一份经典的西班牙海鲜饭,它由大米、海鲜、藏红花和橄榄油烹饪而成,展现了标志性的巴伦西亚菜的特色。 如今,这一无拘无束的节日也有了一定的秩序。组织者甚至为了这一年一度的盛事专门栽培了一种难吃的番茄品种。上午10点左右,当参与者们争抢到一块固定在涂了油脂的长杆顶端的火腿时,庆祝活动拉开序幕。围观者们在街上又唱又跳,并用软管向争抢者们喷水。当中午教堂的钟声敲响,数辆满载着番茄的卡车驶进镇来,而这时“To-ma-te, to-ma-te! (番——茄,番——茄!)”的喊声也达到高潮。 接着,随着高压水枪的喷射,重头戏开场了。此后混战开始,人们将番茄捏碎,砸向其他参与者们,展开全力攻击。高点远投,短程偷袭,以及中程勾手投掷,各式打法,不一而足。不管你技术如何,等到结束之时,你都会看起来(而且会感觉)很不一样。近一个小时后,浸透了番茄汁的各路投手们继续嬉闹,街道已湿软泥泞有如番茄酱的海洋,而其中几乎已找不到任何看起来像番茄的东西了。第二声高压水枪的信号标志着战斗的结束。 |