Food fight to celebrate

Food fight to celebrate.

Festivals are always a good way to celebrate something. It can be a commemoration of a saint’s day or remembering a historical event that took place long time ago and was very significant for people from the town, village or city where it took place. Whatever the reasons are, a festival is always an exciting experience that really worth it if you are ready for anything to happen. A food fight may sound peculiar and unlikely to happen anywhere, but no matter what we might think, it takes places not only in one place but in two. Or at least, two cities are very well-known because of their celebration of special days by having a massive food fight in their own streets. The Battle of the Oranges and La Tomatina are two celebrations that take place in different countries but with strong similarities.

La Tomatina is held in the Valencia town of Buñol, a town located in the East of Spain. The Battle of the Oranges takes place in the Northern Italian city of Ivrea. Both are celebrated during a period of festivities. The first one is celebrated during the week of festivities of Buñol, on the last Wednesday of August, and the Battle of the Oranges is held in February, during the carnival celebration.

The main characteristic that makes these celebrations very similar and special is the one related to food. These magnificent and somehow fierce spectacles are based on a fight with fruits, a kind of war, not with weapons but oranges and tomatoes. As it can be inferred, the main weapon used in La Tomatina are crushed tomatoes that people use to throw each other. In the same way, oranges are used to fight in the festival of northern Italy where thousands of people come together to undertake this massive activity.

These two festivities share another important thing. Both have become very popular worldwide because of their special development and long history. People from all over the world travel to these countries only to be part of these shows. Generally, the inhabitants of these cities are overwhelmed by the huge number of tourists who attend these festivals, shelter locations become saturated and many tourists end up staying in nearby villages and then take a bus or any other transport to help them reach the destination for the event.

Apart from these resemblances, these festivals, as they are from different countries, they have some differences that make them special and well worth it to have the chance to be part of both of them.

Although La Tomatina has no definite origin, the Battle of the Oranges has at least one historical event which support its celebration. La Tomatina has begun approximately around the 1945, but it is not clear the precise reason why it all begun. On the other hand, it is believed that the Battle of the Oranges started to commemorate the city’s defiance against the city’s tyrant around the 12th century.

Regarding the celebration itself, differences also exist. La Tomatina has some rules to avoid serious injuries among the participants, and since 2013 the capacity of people who takes part in this festival is regulated by selling tickets for the event; this happening has not got any award not even teams to fight ones against others, it is all about fighting and having some fun. Unlike the previous event, the Battle of the Oranges is an organized event. Teams are formed to be part of this celebration, nine teams must be in the battlefield to fight against guards that move in a coach. These teams are evaluated by specialized judges and they decide which team deserves the prize.

So, if you have an adventurous spirit and a desire of being part of something big you definitely must try some cultural celebration. There are as many as countries in the world, some are artistic, others celebrate New Year in a truly fantastic way and few of them are not well justified but those are the best. Of course, if you choose any of these celebrations above, you must be prepared to be hit by tomatoes or to have a bruise for several days thanks to a large orange. These festivals are some of the most intense and extreme you can find, but if you enjoy the adrenaline it generates you will not be disappointed.