La Tomatina Festival – photo by Graham McClellan
You know how to throw a party, but what about throwing festivals? (And making the throwing part of the fun, at that.) From tomato throwing in Spain to water throwing in Thailand, we’ll help you understand the rituals so you when you go, you’ll know to bring a healthy sense of humor—and a change of clothes. These bizarre festivals may seem chaotic from afar, but most of the practices do have traditional meaning. Let’s take a look at India, Spain, Thailand and Australia to find out exactly how the locals in these parts of the world make throwing festivals fun.
Visit places mentioned in this blog:
India / Agra / Taj Mahal / Jaipur / Painted Elephant Ride Tour
Thailand / Bangkok / Chao Praya River Cruise
INDIA
Every spring, India celebrates a color throwing festival called Holi. The tradition of throwing colored powder began in ancient Bengal where people applied red powder—the color of passion—to each other and to icons of Lord Krishna, the central figure in Hinduism. They believed it would bring enlightenment to all. Now, many colors are used and are often derived from plants and herbs such as neem (white), kukum (red) and haldi (yellow) whose medicinal properties are thought to ward off bugs and fevers. Certain regions in India put a spin on Holi. In Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, women chase men around with sticks while the men sing songs to draw their attention. And in Jaipur, locals celebrate the Elephant Festival the day before Holi where you’ll see beautifully painted elephants paraded through the streets. But you don’t have to wait for the Holi festival to see the elephants. The Painted Elephant Ride Tour in Jaipur is a year-round adventure that we recommend on our one of our India tours.
SPAIN
In fall, Spain throws La Tomatina in the Valencian town of Bunol on the last Wednesday in August. The festival begins when competitors try to climb a greasy pole to reach a ham perched on top. Once someone drops the ham from the pole, the tomato throwing (and quite possible the world’s biggest food fight) begins and lasts for two hours until a horn signals that they should stop. Since its origin in the 1940s, La Tomatina has been a mainstay despite brief periods when it was outlawed during General Franco’s dictatorial regime. Why it even started to begin with is a mystery. One of the most popular theories is that disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with tomatoes during a town celebration. Today, this festival is a fixture on the calendar so much so that the tomatoes are even funded by the public purse. But if you’d rather keep the ketchup out of your clothes and onto your plate, head into central Valencia to taste some of Spain’s tomato-based dishes in one of its many eateries. The fresh tomato gazpacho (a traditional Spanish soup served cold) and tomato-brushed bread are top picks among the Spaniards whose most popular foodstuff is…you guessed it, the tomato!
THAILAND
Turning to a more cleansing tradition, in Thailand, New Year’s Day is in April and celebrated by throwing water at friends, family and passers-by at the Songkran festival. The ritual of throwing water stems from the religious belief that pouring water over icons of Buddha (Thailand’s primary spiritual figure), collecting the run-off and then offering the blessed water to others would promote good fortune. Nowadays, and to the annoyance of many grandparents, it’s more just for fun and partying. But Thailand’s water-bound entertainment continues in other ways, too. One of the best trips to whet your appetite without wetting your clothes is the Chao Phraya River Cruise in Bangkok where you’ll catch the vistas of Thailand’s capital from an aquatically different perspective.
AUSTRALIA
Ready to throw your hat into the ring at any of these places? Consider down under, too. There’s the tuna throwing festival, Tunarama, held annually in January in Port Lincoln, Australia. But unlike the other festivals mentioned, this one doesn’t have human targets. And it doesn’t even involve real fish. At least not since 2007 when the price of tuna rose as tuna stocks fell. Contestants tie a rope around a 22-pound frozen tuna and then throw it as far as they can. Records indicate that the furthest anyone has ever thrown it was a massive 121 feet (most people average a few feet). And with a prize of AU$7,000, why wouldn’t you give it a go?
FUNDRAISING SUGGESTION
If these festivals have inspired you to visit any one of these destinations, why not throw a festival to fund your trip? You don’t have to throw tomatoes or tuna but maybe there’s something unique to your area that will entice your friends and family into throwing in a donation and having fun while they’re at it. Corn hole or bean bag toss, anyone? Just throwing it out there!