What is the Spanish holiday ''La Tomatina'' about?

La Tomatina is an annual festival held in Buñol, Spain on the last Wednesday of August. It is a celebration that involves a massive tomato fight where participants throw tomatoes at each other for fun.

The origins of the festival are unclear, but it is believed to have started in the mid-1940s. There are several stories about how it began, but the most popular one is that it started as a food fight among friends, and the tradition continued over the years.

The festival begins with the 'palo jabón' where a greased pole with a ham at the top is erected, and participants climb the pole to grab the ham. Once the ham is grabbed, trucks filled with tomatoes arrive in the town center, and the tomato fight begins. The fight lasts for about an hour, and over 100 metric tons of ripe tomatoes are thrown.

The festival attracts thousands of tourists every year, and the small town of Buñol swells to over 20 times its size during the festival. It is a fun and unique experience that should be on every traveler's bucket list.