In truth the story was a Napoleonic-era romantic revision to the carnival, in key with the revolutionary ideas of freedom and revolt that were circulating at the time. It is true, though, that the festival is an uninterrupted tradition that goes back to the medieval times. The Battle of the Oranges dates back to the 19th century as playful clashes between the people on the street and spectators on the balconies, but its latest incarnation only emerged in the post-Second World War period.