Futility Closet

Pulp Friction

Posted in Oddities, Society by Greg Ross on April 1st, 2008

Each February, the residents of Ivrea, Italy, throw oranges at each other. On the three days preceding Shrove Tuesday, thousands of costumed "revolutionaries" battle an "aristocracy" by hurling citrus fruits. Supposedly this commemorates a droit de seigneur drama in the 12th century, but in practice it's just a bunch of people throwing oranges.

Three thousand miles to the west, they're throwing tomatoes.