ProZ.com translation contests »
2014 annual ProZ.com translation contest: "Celebrations" » English to Maltese » Entry by David Grech


Source text in English

Translation by David Grech (#16670)

Who cast that first fateful tomato that started the La Tomatina revolution? The reality is no one knows. Maybe it was an anti-Franco rebellion, or a carnival that got out of hand. According to the most popular version of the story, during the 1945 festival of Los Gigantes (a giant paper mâché puppet parade), locals were looking to stage a brawl to get some attention. They happened upon a vegetable cart nearby and started hurling ripe tomatoes. Innocent onlookers got involved until the scene escalated into a massive melee of flying fruit. The instigators had to repay the tomato vendors, but that didn't stop the recurrence of more tomato fights—and the birth of a new tradition.

Fearful of an unruly escalation, authorities enacted, relaxed, and then reinstated a series of bans in the 1950s. In 1951, locals who defied the law were imprisoned until public outcry called for their release. The most famous effrontery to the tomato bans happened in 1957 when proponents held a mock tomato funeral complete with a coffin and procession. After 1957, the local government decided to roll with the punches, set a few rules in place, and embraced the wacky tradition.

Though the tomatoes take center stage, a week of festivities lead up to the final showdown. It's a celebration of Buñol's patron saints, the Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand, with street parades, music, and fireworks in joyous Spanish fashion. To build up your strength for the impending brawl, an epic paella is served on the eve of the battle, showcasing an iconic Valencian dish of rice, seafood, saffron, and olive oil.

Today, this unfettered festival has some measure of order. Organizers have gone so far as to cultivate a special variety of unpalatable tomatoes just for the annual event. Festivities kick off around 10 a.m. when participants race to grab a ham fixed atop a greasy pole. Onlookers hose the scramblers with water while singing and dancing in the streets. When the church bell strikes noon, trucks packed with tomatoes roll into town, while chants of "To-ma-te, to-ma-te!" reach a crescendo.

Then, with the firing of a water cannon, the main event begins. That's the green light for crushing and launching tomatoes in all-out attacks against fellow participants. Long distance tomato lobbers, point-blank assassins, and medium range hook shots. Whatever your technique, by the time it's over, you will look (and feel) quite different. Nearly an hour later, tomato-soaked bombers are left to play in a sea of squishy street salsa with little left resembling a tomato to be found. A second cannon shot signals the end of the battle.
Min kien li waddab dik l-ewwel tadama kruċjali li tat bidu għar-rivoluzzjoni ta’ La Tomatina? Il-verità hija li ħadd ma jaf. Forsi kienet xi rewwixta kontra t-tmexxija ta’ Franco, jew xi karnival li spiċċa bla kontroll. Skont il-verżjoni l-iżjed popolari tal-istorja, matul il-festival tal-1945 ta’ Los Gigantes (parata ta’ pupazzi ġganteski tal-papier Mâché), in-nies tal-lokal kienu qed ifittxu li joħolqu ġlieda taparsi biex jiġbdu ftit l-attenzjoni. Huma nzertaw karettun tal-ħaxix fil-viċin u bdew iwaddbu t-tadam misjur. Dawk in-nies innoċenti li kien hemm iħarsu ġew involuti wkoll sakemm ix-xena eskalat fi ġlieda massiva bil-frott itir. L-instigaturi kellhom iħallsu lura lill-bejjiegħa tat-tadam, imma dak ma waqqafx it-tennija ta’ iżjed ġlidiet bit-tadam—u t-twelid ta’ tradizzjoni ġdida.

Minħabba l-biża’ ta’ eskalazzjoni ta’ sfrattu, l-awtoritajiet ippromulgaw, illaxkaw, u mbagħad reġgħu daħħlu fis-seħħ serje ta’ projbizzjonijiet fis-snin ħamsin. Fl-1951, in-nies tal-lokal li sfidaw il-liġi ntefgħu fil-ħabs sakemm l-għajta tal-pubbliku talbet għall-ħelsien tagħhom. L-iżjed sfida famuża għall-projbizzjonijiet tat-tadam seħħet fl-1957 meta l-proponenti organizzaw funeral taparsi tat-tadam komplut minn kollox bit-tebut u l-purċissjoni. Wara l-1957, il-gvern lokali ddeċieda li ma jmurx iżjed kontra l-kurrent, daħħal fis-seħħ ftit regoli, u ħaddan din it-tradizzjoni mhux tas-soltu.

Għalkemm it-tadam ikun fiċ-ċentru tal-attenzjoni, il-ġimgħa ta’ festi twassal għall-quċċata finali. Din hija ċelebrazzjoni tal-qaddisin patruni ta’ Buñol, il-Verġni Marija u San Louis Bertrand, b’parati fit-toroq, mużika, u logħob tan-nar f’atmosfera ta’ briju Spanjola. Sabiex dak li jkun jiġbor is-saħħa għall-ġlieda li tkun qed toqrob, tiġi servuta l-paella tradizzjonali lejliet il-battalja, li hija wirja ta’ platt ikoniku Valenzjan ta’ ross, frott tal-baħar, żagħfran, u żejt taż-żebbuġa.

Illum, dan il-festival bla rażan għandu xi ftit tal-ordni. L-organizzaturi anke waslu sabiex jikkultivaw varjetà speċjali ta’ tadam spjaċevoli biss għall-avveniment annwali. Il-festi jibdew għall-ħabta tal-għaxra ta’ filgħodu meta l-parteċipanti jtellqu biex jaħtfu perżuta mwaħħla mal-quċċata ta’ arblu mdellek bix-xaħam. L-ispettaturi jaħslu bil-pajp tal-ilma lil dawk li jkunu qed jippruvaw jixxabbtu filwaqt li jkantaw u jiżfnu fit-toroq. Meta l-qanpiena tal-knisja ddoqq it-tokki ta’ nofsinhar, jidħlu fir-raħal trakkijiet mgħobbijin bit-tadam, filwaqt li l-għajjat ta’ "To-ma-te, to-ma-te!" jilħaq l-ogħla livell tiegħu.

Imbagħad, bl-isparar ta’ kanun tal-ilma, jibda l-avveniment ewlieni. Dak ikun is-sinjal biex jibda t-tgħaffiġ u t-twaddib tat-tadam f’attakki sfrenati kontra parteċipanti oħra. Għandek dawk li jwaddbu t-tadam minn distanza twila, l-assassini bla kantunieri li jitfgħu t-tadam b’mira diretta, u sparar ta’ tadam fuq medda medja. Hi x’inhi t-teknika tiegħek, sal-ħin li jkun għadda l-avveniment kollu, inti tkun tidher (u tħossok) differenti ferm. Madwar siegħa wara, dawk li jkunu ħadu sehem u issa jkunu mxarrbin għasra bit-tadam jitħallew jilagħbu f’baħar ta’ zalza tiżloq fit-triq bi ftit li xejn ikun baqa’ li jixbaħ lit-tadam. It-tieni sparatura tal-kanun tkun is-sinjal tat-tmiem tal-battalja.


Discuss this entry