The Cipotegato

A traditional festival in the town of Tarazona in Zaragoza (Aragon), the main features of which are the Cipotegato (a clown) and the tomatoes that are thrown at him during his run through the streets.

The Cipotegato is the main character of the fiesta in Tarazona, and starting at noon every 27 August, he runs around the town while people throw tomatoes at him. In a harlequin costume, he runs along paths that open up through the crowds of people lining the streets, who throw tomatoes at him, and inevitably, at each other, turning the event into a tomato fight. Only the Cipotegato knows the route, but it always starts and finishes in Plaza de España square. Once he has reached the finish line, he is lifted up onto a monument in his honour to cries of “Cipote, cipote!”, where he ties a scarf to the top, marking the start of the main fiestas of Tarazona. The fiesta continues until 1 September and includes outdoor dances, bullfighting, musical parades, a foam bath, folk dances, etc. The main day of the festival is 28 August when a mass is celebrated in honour of San Atilano, the town’s patron saint.