These Five Most Famous Spanish Festivals

My (very British) idea of a festival or celebration involves drink, music, possibly dancing and often a speech. The Spanish like to throw fireworks, build towers out of humans, get carried around in coffins and jump over babies (all things that actually happen in yearly festivals).

I have also discovered that a very large number of Spanish festivals involve throwing things. I have no idea why the Spanish like to throw things so much… but they do! Below is a list of 5 Spanish festivals that take place in Spain every year. Let me know what you think of these wacky and uh…weird celebrations:

1. Most Famous: Tomatina

You may have heard of the Spanish festival where thousands of people throw tomatoes at each other, aka. Tomantina. It's very popular with tourists from all around the world and the town of Buñol is conveniently located just a few miles away from the beautiful city of Valencia. Initially beginning in 1945 as a protest, Tomantina is now one of Spain's most famous festivals and provides good messy fun for all. It's held annually on the last Wednesday of August.

2. Continuing with the fruit theme: La Raima – The Grape throwing festival

Since the 1930s, every year the end of Harvest has been celebrated by the farmers and other locals with a grape throwing festival. Over the years the festival, like Tomantina, has also become popular with tourists and the now huge crowds are delivered over 60 tonnes of grapes for their throwing fun. It's another festival that gets very messy!

3. Food fight! Flower and eggs throwing during Els Enfarinats

Els Enfarinats is a slightly bonkers festivals were people dressed in combat gear, round around the town like their part of a Guerilla army trying to get money (for charitable causes) from locals and eventually these 'army people' let off fireworks and begin to batter people (hehe) with eggs and flour bombs. It becomes a huge food fight and the town gets caked (hehe) in flour.

4. A slightly more acceptable and fun fiesta: Water fighting

Each year at the stroke of midnight, Spainish biggest water festival begins in the Andalucían town of Lanjaron. People from all over the country charge into the streets armed with buckets of water and water pistols, whilst ladies equipped with hosepipes prepare for battle from their balconies. The liquid onslaught then begins and by the time the whistle blows there is a river running through the village. The dripping participants then do what any decent water fighter would do…they spend the next two days getting drunk and eating ham to recover.

5. Rags, Mud and Ant throwing festival

For over a thousand years, the festival of Farrapada in Galicia has prepared for the self-restraining period of Lent by throwing rags and ants at each other. The battle begins when someone is hit by a wet muddy rag (how lovely) and then it becomes a bit of a 'free for all'. Dirty rags are thrown as well as handfuls of mud, each full of ants. Not just any ants… biting ants! To make sure these biting ants that you are to throw at friends and family are on full form, they are previously doused in vinegar which apparently keeps them extra feisty.