The unruly boys knocked one of the performers off his stilts, he became enraged and started lashing out, and a vendor’s vegetable stand fell victim to the mayhem until the police arrived to break it up.

The Spanish festival was banned for much of the 1950s, but in 1957 locals protested with a mock funeral, carrying a coffin with a giant tomato inside as bands played a funeral march.

Eventually the powers-that-be relented, and La Tomatina has grown into a huge tourism draw in the decades since.

If you go, please follow some simple rules: Don’t throw hard objects, squash the tomato before throwing it, stay a safe distance away from tomato trucks, and stop when the starter pistol indicates that the hour of mayhem has ended.

In other words, have fun, but don’t hurt anybody and don’t be a jerk.

Family members who have moved away will often return home for the holiday to pay tribute to their ancestors. People clean their houses in preparation, and everyone dresses up in their best clothes.

Some regions host traditional parades and beauty contests, while others believe in setting off firecrackers on April 13 to ward off bad luck in the New Year.

But the main reason Songkran is known outside of Asia is the wet, wild celebration in Thailand, especially Chiang Mai.

There, most of the major streets are closed off to traffic and packed with young people for what is likely the world’s biggest water fight. Water balloons are Super Soakers are a given, and getting drenched is guaranteed.

The celebrations vary by region: Those held in Málaga and Seville are among the most extravagant, while those in Valladolid and Zamora tend to be more somber. But the central features are generally similar.

Penitents, known as nazarenos, march in colorful robes that hide their faces. They carry processional candles or crosses, and many walk barefoot, bound by chuckles and chains.

But the thing that attracts travelers around the world is the fantastic floats (a.k.a. Pasos) they carry. These are elaborately decorated with artful sculptures depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ or the Sorrows of Virgin Mary.

Some are created by famous Spanish artists, and have been used by brotherhoods for centuries. With marching bands providing musical accompaniment, it’s quite the spectacle.

If you’re looking for a hotel for the Semana Santa Festival, check out Gran Hotel Miramar (Málaga), Hotel Palacete de Alamos (Málaga), Monte Carmelo (Sevilla) or Petit Palace Puerta de Triana (Sevilla).

Each neighbourhood of the city has an organised group of people, the Casal faller, that works all year long holding fundraising parties and dinners, usually featuring the noted dish paella, a specialty of the region. Each casal faller produces a construction known as a falla which is eventually burned. A casal faller is also known as a comissió fallera and currently there are approximately 400 registered in Valencia.