Did The Famous La Tomatina Festival Actually Start As A Public Fight?

By Slurrp Team

La Tomatina , the tomato throwing festival happens every year in the own of Bunol, Spain.

It is arguable the world's largest food fight with almost 150 tons of tomatoes used every year!

The contest begins with the retrieval of a ham slice from a greasy pole, and finishes with a one-hour tomato fight. 

Legend has it that the festival originated in a street brawl in the town of Bunol in Spain in 1945.

During the dispute , participants began throwing tomatoes at each other!

The townspeople have continued staging the event each year ever since and in 1980, the city council officially started  organising it.

Another story claims that the disgusted audience grabbed produce from a nearby vendors' carts and tossed it at the stage after a bad singing performance!

A political version says that the people of Bunol expressed their discontent by throwing tomatoes at civic leaders outside the  city hall.

La Tomatina has inspired many similar events in other countries like in Reno, US. Even in India, after the cult of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Spanish centres conducted mini La Tomatina festivals!