M. NAUFAL F.Y/4SA01/13615964
Festival Tomatina, Tradisi Lempar Tomat di Spanyol
KOMPAS.com - Puluhan ribu orang saling melempari 120 ton tomat dengan penuh keriaan. Akibatnya, jalanan pun menjadi merah dan basah oleh tomat. Inilah festival perang makanan terbesar di Spanyol yang dikenal dengan nama "Tomatina”.
Lautan manusia memenuhi Plaza Mayor di daerah Bunol, bagian timur Spanyol. Beberapa orang bertelanjang dada dan bahkan mengenakan kacamata renang untuk menghindari mata perih akibat terkena sari tomat.
Sementara, para penonton memberikan semangat dari balkon-balkon di bangunan yang berada di sekeliling jalanan medan pertempuran. Lima truk yang berisikan tomat harus ikut berdesakan dengan lautan manusia yang penuh dengan lumuran tomat.
"Saya tak bisa melempar dengan cepat. Ini gila. Ini tahun ketiga saya ikut festival ini," tutur Angel, salah satu pelempar tomat.
Festival Tomatina diselenggarakan setiap tahun di Bunol. Sebuah daerah subur yang jaraknya sekitar 40 kilometer ke arah utara dari kota Valencia. Kota Valencia merupakan kota terbesar ketiga di Spanyol. Tomatina pada tahun ini diselenggarakan pada Rabu (29/8/2012).
Aparat pemerintah setempat menuturkan bahwa mereka mengharapkan "pertempuran" tomat tersebut dapat memberikan kontribusi 300.000 euro atau sekitar 3,5 milyar rupiah untuk perekonomian lokal. Angka ini pun diharapkan dapat memstimulasi keadaan ekonomi yang mengalami krisis dan tingkat pengangguran yang mencapai 25 persen. "
Kami sudah tidak punya tempat yang cukup luas, tapi mau bagaimana lagi. Festival ini sudah ada sejak tahun 1945," kata Rafael Perez, juru bicara dari pemerintah setempat Bunol.
Meskipun asal-mula acara ini tak jelas, beberapa sumber menyebutkan festival tersebut bermula dari perang makanan antara anak-anak yang terjadi di pertengahan tahun 1940-an di Bunol.
Although the origin of this event is unclear, several sources say the festival started from a food war between children that occurred in the mid 1940s at Bunol.
Kini, perang makanan itu sudah berkembang pesat menjadi festival yang sering diliput berbagai media mancanegara dan semakin banyak orang yang datang ke festival tersebut. Turis-turis tahun ini yang datang untuk Tomatina berasal dari Jepang, Korea Selatan, Australia, Selandia Baru, dan India.
Setelah "pertempuran", para pelempar tomat kemudian menuju sungai terdekat untuk membersihkan diri dari sisa-sisa tomat. Tahun ini, enam kereta api berkapasitas 29 ribu kursi khusus disediakan untuk memudahkan akses ke Tomatina. Begitupula penyediaan kawasan berkemah untuk para turis.
(Artikel ini telah tayang di Kompas.com dengan judul "Festival Tomatina, Tradisi Lempar Tomat di Spanyol", https://internasional.kompas.com/read/2012/08/30/17342085/Festival.Tomatina.Tradisi.Lempar.Tomat.di.Spanyol.)
Translation by own version
Fiesta del Tomatina, a Tradition of Throwing Tomatoes in Spain
KOMPAS.com - Tens of thousands people throw at each other 120 tons of tomatoes with enjoyment. Aftermath, the street became red and wet by tomatoes. This is the biggest food war festival in Spain known as "Tomatina".
Plaza Mayor in the area of Bunol filled by a lot of human, eastern Spain. Some people were naked and even had worn swimming glasses to covering their eyes from sore eyes due to being affected of tomatoes essence.
Meanwhile, the audience gave enthusiasm from the balconies in the buildings around the battlefield. Five trucks contained tomatoes must be jostled with a lot of people that covered in tomatoes.
"I can't throw quickly. This is insane. This is the third year times I joined this festival," said Angel, one of the tomato thrower.
The Tomatina Festival is held every year in Bunol. A fertile area that is about 40 kilometers north of the city of Valencia. The city of Valencia is the third largest city in Spain. Tomatina this year was held on Wednesday (08/29/2012).
Local government officials said that they hoped the "battle" of tomatoes could contribute 300,000 euros or around 3.5 billion rupiah for the local economy. This rate is also expected to stimulate economic conditions which are experiencing a crisis and the unemployment rate that reaches 25 percent. "
We don't have enough space, but we can't help it. This festival has been existed since 1945, "said Rafael Perez, a spokesman for the local government of Bunol.
Now, the food war has developed rapidly into a festival that is often covered by various foreign media outlets and more and more people are coming to the festival. The tourists this year who came to Tomatina came from Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.
After the "battle", the tomato throwers then headed for the nearby river to rid themselves of the remains of tomatoes. This year, six trains with a capacity of 29 thousand special seats are provided for easy access to Tomatina. Likewise the provision of worship areas for tourists.
Translation By Google
Tomatina Festival, Tradition of Tomato Throw in Spain
KOMPAS.com - Tens of thousands of people throw at each other 120 tons of tomatoes with great joy. As a result, the road became red and wet with tomatoes. This is the biggest food war festival in Spain known as "Tomatina".
A sea of humans meets Plaza Mayor in the area of Bunol, eastern Spain. Some people lean on their chests and even wear swimming goggles fortunately avoiding the sore eyes from being exposed to tomato juice.
Meanwhile, the audience gave enthusiasm from the balconies in the buildings around the battlefield. Five trucks containing tomatoes must be jostled with a sea of people full of tomatoes.
"I can't throw quickly. This is crazy. This is the third year I joined this festival," said Angel, one of the tomato throwers.
The Tomatina Festival is held every year in Bunol. A fertile area that is about 40 kilometers north of the city of Valencia. The city of Valencia is the third largest city in Spain. Tomatina this year was held on Wednesday (08/29/2012).
Local government officials said that they hoped the "battle" of tomatoes could contribute 300,000 euros or around 3.5 billion rupiah to the local economy. This figure is also expected to stimulate economic conditions that are experiencing a crisis and the unemployment rate that reaches 25 percent. "
We don't have enough space, but we can't help it. This festival has been around since 1945, "said Rafael Perez, spokesman for the local government of Bunol.
Although the origin of this event is unclear, several sources say the festival stems from a food war between children that occurred in the mid 1940s at Bunol.
Now, the food war has developed rapidly into a festival that is often covered by various foreign media outlets and more and more people are coming to the festival. The tourists this year who came to Tomatina came from Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.
After the "battle", the tomato throwers then headed for the nearby river to rid themselves of the remains of tomatoes. This year, six trains with a capacity of 29 thousand special seats are provided for easy access to Tomatina. Likewise the provision of worship areas for tourists.
