Playing ketchup in Spain - thousands wage the Tomatina fight
A reveller lies in tomato pulp during the annual "La Tomatina" tomato food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Heino Kalis
BUNOL, Spain (Reuters) - Thousands of revelers hurled tonnes of tomatoes at each other on Wednesday, cavorting in the red pulp beneath their feet in the Spanish town of Bunol.
Organizers of the annual Tomatina festival tossed 145 tonnes of over-ripe tomatoes into the crowd from six large trucks, quickly converting the town into a sea of pink and red.
Some revelers wore goggles to protect their eyes and some buildings were draped with tarpaulin to preserve their walls, while others got soaked with the pulp, creating a scene worthy of a modern art painting.
Revellers throw tomatoes during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Medina
The Tomatina is said to have originated from a spontaneous bust-up amongst villagers in 1945.
It was banned for a while during the 1950s at the height of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship, but survived to gain popularity across Spain in the 1980s and today draws large crowds of visitors from abroad as well as Spaniards.
The town hall distributed more than 20,000 tickets to the festival this year.
Revellers on a truck throw tomatoes into the crowd during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Heino Kalis
(Reporting by Guillermo Martinez and Juan Medina; Writing by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Alison Williams)
Revellers on a truck throw tomatoes into the crowd during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Heino KalisRevellers throw tomatoes during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Heino KalisRevellers on a truck throw tomatoes into the crowd during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Heino KalisRevellers throw tomatoes during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Heino KalisRevellers throw tomatoes during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Heino Kalis
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