Orange Throwing Festivals

The most popular orange-throwing festival is the Carnival at Ivrea, Italy. This takes place 40 days before Lent and around the middle of February.

The history of this battle goes back to the Middle-Ages when beans were used instead of oranges. The fights occurred twice a year and were a result of the feudal lords giving a pot with beans to poor families. The lords threw the beans on the ground so it made the poor families angry and fighting by throwing of beans ensued.

Oranges were substituted for the beans in the middle of the 19th Century and battles are very traditional, with costumes, wagons, etc.

In the images below, it shows how the celebration is started with a parade and then the oranges start flying.

The second orange throwing festival takes place in Binche, Belgium. The Carnaval de Binche takes place three days before Lent so it coincides with the festival at Ivrea, Italy.

This carnival, dates back to the 1300's and is very colorful with its different costumes.

The main participants in the event are the "Gilles" who are local men that are chosen by the townspeople. These "Gilles" start the day by eating oysters and champagne at 4am and then they march through the streets, wearing wax masks and costumes.
When they get to the Town Hall, they remove their masks and celebrate. Later in the day, they get in groups again and stamp the stone streets with their clogs, beat drums and then shake rattles together made of bundled sticks. This ritual is to drive off evil spirits.
In the middle of the afternoon, they then put on huge ostrich hat and then join a parade and throw oranges at the crowd.

Children also wear colorful costumes and families celebrate.

The parties continue well into the night with fireworks, bonfires and much rowdiness and intoxication.

The third orange festival is in Georgetown, Malaysia and is called, "Goh Meh" and on the Chinese Lunar calendar, is celebrated on the 15th night of the first month. This occurs in late February to early March.

Orange-throwing is the highlight of this festival and the hurlers are the local girls, who throw the oranges into the sea in the hopes that a future mate might catch them. In some instances, the girls will write their phone number or wishes so they can be contacted. In most recent years, the girls are even writing their Facebook ID on them.

Women are the only ones throwing oranges in hopes that the men would like them and approach them about marriage.