¡Tomatina!

From today's Valencia Life....

One of the more unusual Fiestas of the Valencian Community will be staged today. The annual ‘Tomatina’ of Buñol this year will be expanded to allow 40,000 people to collectively participate in throwing 100,000 kilos of tomatoes at each other as well as any nearby onlookers. After some wine and sweet cakes, the participants will enter the ‘arena’ at 11 o’clock for two hours of ‘battle’ in the fiesta that was declared in the national interest four years ago.

This year, the town has spent 22,000 Euros on acquiring the tomatoes from a cooperative in Castellon. In addition to the security forces, five ambulances and various paramedics will be on hand to treat any participants that are injured, but the vast majority of these will in all probability be treated for irritated eyes due to the stinging sensation that being hit by flying tomatoes produces. Equally this year, some 23 media representatives have been accredited including representatives from the UK, Korea and Japan, and at least some journalists are expected to participate in the battle, the origins of which are allegedly based on a fruit battle between two youths that took place in 1945.

¡Party on!