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Hello and welcome to the cultural video from Ecom in Spanish.
How's it going? How are you?
In Spain, it is very hot, uh, extremely hot.
So, this month, we're going to talk about some quite interesting topics,
for example the protagonist of the month of August is our friend the tomato. Why?
Why is it the protagonist?
Do you know? We'll think about it a little.
And on the other hand, we'll also talk about what people do.
People travel from the city to the village. Why? What reason is there?
We'll also see this event in the culture topic.
Well, for the monthly topic of the month of August, we're going to talk about our friend the tomato.
Oooh, the tomato! Why is the tomato the protagonist of August? Who knows?
Yes, that's it! It's because the famous Tomatina Festival is celebrated this month. Where is the Tomatina Festival celebrated?
Well, it is celebrated in Valencia, more specifically in a village called Buñol.
When is it celebrated? The last Wednesday of the month of August.
And what do you do in the Tomatina Festival?
Well, you throw tomatoes. Over 40,000 people that travel from all over the world, come here to Valencia, Buñol
to participate in the festival and they use approximately 100 tons of tomatoes. That's a lot!
The people finish covered in tomato. Oooh! Wow! Incredible.
Well, there are a few tips I wanted to give you for the Tomatina Festival, since it's a bit of a dirty festival.
What's important is old clothing, always, old clothing, closed-toe shoes, swimming goggles, because otherwise we wouldn't be able to see anything,
and lots and lots of energy to throw, throw tomatoes.
There is also a point that is quite important for the festival that is called "palo-jamón(ham pole)".
What is the "palo-jamón"?
Well, it is this pole that is here and at the very top, I'm not sure if you can see it, there is a ham hanging,
then once we're soaked in tomatoes, we have to climb up to take the ham.
And the winner, of course, is the one who is able to reach the ham.
Doesn't it seem interesting? Would you like to go to Buñol to participate in the Tomatina? Go for it.
Well, for our culture topic, we're going to talk about the fiestas de los pueblos(village festivals).
The village festivals are very famous in Spain too.
In August, in the majority of the villages in Spain, the village festivals are normally celebrated on the weekend.
Then, many of the emigrants that had gone to the city to work
return to their home villages to celebrate the great village festival.
What do people do in the village festivals?
Well normally, the town council organizes many cultural and gastronomic events.
For example, it is very typical to make a giant paella, yes, or eat, eat a lot
since the people from the village and the people who come from outside to celebrate the festival eat together in the street.
August is a month where the temperature is really nice and the people are outdoors in the street until very late.
There are also open-air dances, where you dance a lot. Oh! Very fun.
And of course, as it can be no other way in Spain, little bull runs are celebrated, encierros,
with heifers which are small bulls, in the streets, the children play and normally it is very fun.
The villages spend a bit of money on this festival I think because it's a way to make sure
that the people who live in the city don't forget where they come from.
And honestly, there are some villages that are beautiful and hold wonderful festivals.
I also recommend you make a small tour of a small village in the month of August
because it is very interesting to see how these festivals are celebrated.
So, August has come to an end and although I know many of you are on vacation
you must not forget to study just a little.
Maybe you are in Spain, maybe it's possible, and you're practicing Spanish with native Spanish people
but even when you're in Spain or in another country, never forget that you have to study
and keep practicing to improve as always.
Good luck and goodbye.