| Spaniards seem rarely to need much of a reason for | | | | of the city's streets into huge bonfires. Undoubtedly |
| a fiesta or festival of some sort and you can pretty | | | | the local fire services busiest evening of the year and |
| much guarantee that wherever you are in Spain | | | | certainly one not to be missed by visitors to the |
| there will be some merrymaking going on somewhere | | | | region. |
| in honour of a patron saint - I've decided to look at | | | | Next stop is Catalonia and the town of Valls located |
| some of Spain's quirkier, slightly less known festivals | | | | about 100km south west of Barcelona, where every |
| and enlighten readers as to some of the stranger | | | | year townsfolk gather for the legendary "Calcotada". |
| practices which take place at various times around | | | | A celebration of food and in particular the "calcot" |
| the country. | | | | (similar to a spring onion) with road side bbq's char |
| Our journey begins in the east of the country in the | | | | grilling piles of them for locals to eat. There's even a |
| town of Bunol in the Valencia region where a week | | | | hug pot of dipping sauce on hand to spice things up a |
| long festival in honour of the town's patron saint, San | | | | bit. The main event is the eating competition as burly |
| Luis Bertran, ends in the famous "Tomatina", a two | | | | local champions from all over the region line up to see |
| hour tomato fight where lorries bring in 120,000 kg of | | | | how many onions they can put away in 45 minutes, |
| tomatoes for the locals to pelt each other with. It's | | | | apparently it's not uncommon for the victor to eat in |
| all a bit of a free-for-all and it's usually girls pitted | | | | excess of 300! After a winner has been decided the |
| against boys for two hours of madness from 11am | | | | town decamps to huge local cafeterias where for a |
| to 1pm. Participants can expect to get extremely | | | | small fee the "calcots" are served in plentiful numbers |
| messy and it's advisable to wear something old, and | | | | alongside grilled meats and washed down with as |
| preferably red, if you don't want the stains to show | | | | much red wine as you can drink. It's certainly off the |
| up. Despite the "Tomatina" clearly being the highlight, | | | | beaten track a little bit and for that reason you won't |
| there are many other facets of the festival to be | | | | see many tourists but expect a warm welcome from |
| enjoyed throughout the week with fireworks, | | | | the locals who will, undoubtedly, be in high spirits. |
| parades and a paella cook-off amongst the most | | | | 29th June, the day of San Pedro and we're deep in |
| notable. | | | | Spain's wine producing heartland, La Rioja, where for |
| Not so far away in the city of Valencia, townsfolk | | | | one day every year the medieval town of Haro is |
| revel for a week in the festivities of "Las Fallas", | | | | host to the famous "Batalla de Vino" (literally "Wine |
| another one of Spain's more unique festivals. The | | | | Battle"). Apparently the battle's origins lie in an ancient |
| raucous week of celebration takes place in March and | | | | dispute with between Haro and its neighbours. These |
| is most notable for "Las Fallas" which are huge | | | | days the fight is pretty good natured with thousands |
| papier-mâché figures up to 60 feet in | | | | of gallons of wine being hurled around the |
| height. Built in the streets, the figures often have a | | | | battleground (a hillside overlooking Haro). Like the |
| satirical edge; Tony Blair and George Bush's effigies | | | | Tomatina, this is going to be a messy one and I'd |
| graced last year's festival. The culmination of the | | | | suggest coming prepared with some ammunition of |
| merry-making comes on the "Night of Fire" when all | | | | your own, the locals have been doing this for years |
| 700 of "Las fallas" are burnt to a cinder turning many | | | | so expect to take a few shots early on. |