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2014 annual ProZ.com translation contest: "Celebrations" » English to Albanian » Entry by Jonida Panariti


Source text in English

Translation by Jonida Panariti (#18218)

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.
Kush e hodhi domaten e pare fatlume qe filloi revolucionin "La Tomatina"? Ne realitet asnje nuk e di.Ndoshta mund te ishte nje rebelim anti_Franko,ose karnavale qe dolen jashte kontrollit.Sipas versionit me popullor te historise,gjate festivalit te vitit 1945 te Los Gjigandit {nje parade kukullash gjigande prej letre} ,vendasit po shkaktonin potere per te rene ne sy.Ata rastisen mbi nje karroce perimesh aty afer dhe filluan te hidhnin domate te pjekura.Spektatore te pafajshem u perfshine derisa skena u zhvendos ne nje ngaterrese frutash fluturuese.Nxitesit duhet te paguanin shitesit e domateve,por kjo nuk e ndaloi kthimin e me shume betejave me domate- dhe lindjen e nje tradite te re.

Te frikesuar nga nje intensifikim i cregullsise, autoritetet miratuan, te qete dhe pastaj rivendosen nje seri censurash ne vitet 1950. Ne vitin 1951,vendasit qe nuk zbatonin ligjin burgoseshin derisa nje indinjate publike kerkoi lirimin e tyre.Pafytyresia me e famshme ne ndalimet e domateve ndodhi ne 1957 ku idhtaret mbajten nje funeral talles domatesh me nje arkivol dhe procesion.Pas 1957, qeveria lokale vendosi te perdorte forcen ,te vinte disa rregulla, dhe perqafoi traditen e nje lloji tjeter.

Megjithese domatet zene vendin qendror,nje jave festimesh cuan ne shfaqjen e fundit.Eshte nje festim i shenjtoreve mbrojtes Bunol,Virgjereshes Mari dhe shen Luis Bertrand, me parada ne rruge,muzike,dhe fishekzjarre sipas modes alegro spanjolle.Per te marre force para nje perleshje te afert,nje tigan epik sherbehet ne prag te betejes,duke treguar nje portret Valencian te nje pjate me oriz,prodhime deti,shafran dhe vaj ulliri.

Sot, ky festival i papenguar ka nje sasi rregullash.Organizuesit kane shkuar aq larg sa te kultivojne nje varietet te vecante domatesh te pashijshme posacerisht per ngjarjen e vitit.Festimet fillojne rreth ores 10 paradite ku pjesemarresit vrapojne te kapin nje kofshe te vendosur ne nje shtylle me yndyre.Pjesemarresit lagin perleshesit me uje duke kenduar dhe kercyer ne rruge.Kur kembana e kishes te bjere ne mesdite, kamionet e mbushur me domate rrokullisen ne qytet,ndersa himnet e "to-ma-te", to-ma-te!" arrijne kulmin.

Pastaj,me ndezjen e nje autopompe fillon ngjarja kryesore.kjo eshte drita jeshile per te shtypur e hedhur domate kudo kunder te tjereve.Pirgje domatesh ne distanca te gjata,vrasesit e pikes se zeze e goditje cengeli mesatare.Megjithe tekniken tende ne kohen kur perfundon,ju do te dukeni e ndiheni mjaft ndryshe.Afer nje ore me vone,bombarduesit e zhytur ne domate lihen te luajne ne nje det me salce te rreshqitshme ne rruge me shume pak gjasa per ti gjetur nje domate te ngjashme.Nje goditje e dyte topi sinjalizon perfundimin e betejes.


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