Situated amid the Iberian Peninsula, stretching from the Pyrenees mountain to the strait of Gibraltar Spain is a beautiful example of diverse ethnicities brought all together in a single piece of land. The Straight of Gibraltar separates this country from the rest of the African continent.
To the East of Spain lies the Mediterranean sea including the Balearic Islands. Pain also rules cities in North Africa and the Canary islands in the Atlantic. Spain shows a mix of early inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, the Celts, and later conquerors from Europe and Africa. Altogether the people of Spain are called Spaniards.
However, the origin of the Basque people in the north of Spain remains unknown. Spaniards are fond of eating and drinking with family and friends. Regional dances, Music, Soccer, and religious festivals are the love of their life. In addition to this recent immigrants from North Africa and Latin America have contributed to the mix.
One such famous festival celebrated here annually that attracts a large number of participants even in the form of tourists is “Running of the Bulls”. The event involves running in front of a small group of bulls. The number of bulls varies between 6 and 10 and sometimes they are present in even more numbers.
Here in Spain, many towns hold such events every year. One of the famous regions that hold this festival every year between July 7th to 14 is Pamplona. In this 8-day festival, over 1 million spectators watch thousands of participants running in front of bulls for the sake of their lives.
iViva San Fermin
A rocket is fired from the balcony of Pamplona town hall in North Eastern Spain at midday on July 6th And the Fiesta of San Fermin will be underway for another year. This festival collectively celebrates life and death together. The fact that people run with the Bulls in the morning and watch them die in the bull ring each night.
This article discusses 5 amazing facts regarding the bull run that will blow your mind.
1. You may never see a bull
If we will get the big one out of the way first there is so much going on in Pamplona at the given time during Fiesta. If you’re squeamish about the treatment of the bulls in the street or the ring you can completely escape it and you would be surprised to learn that there are a lot many things for you to do.
Revelers hold up red cards during the Chupinazo, the official opening of the fiesta of San Fermin.
2. A religious Festival
The fiesta takes place in the honor of Saint Fermin of Amiens, the co-patron of Navarre, the region of Spain in which Pamplona is located. The Statue of the Saint is carried through Pamplona Street at 10 a.m. on July 7th for people to venerate and photograph.
The runners sing Each morning before the Bull run to a smaller statue that resides in an alcove in a world above Santo Domingo. This takes place before the first section of the run.
“San Fermin we ask you to be our patron, to guide us in the encierro, to give us your blessing!”
The red scarf is an instantly recognizable aspect of the fiesta and also has religious origins. According to the Parish priest “for religious ceremonies in honor of a saint if the Saint is a martyr and died for his beliefs the priest dress in red”.
In order to honor San Fermin, we do this because he was martyred and the things about the red scarf are a performance by the people of this religious custom.
3. 8 Bull Runs
People are often surprised by the fact that the Bull Run happens more than once every morning from July 7 to 14. In Spanish, the bull run is known as the encierro. This translates as “enclosure” since the “bulls are being enclosed at the ring”.
Corralling might be a better word here. Since the idea is to lead the bulls from their pens on the edge of the old city to their corrals at the bullring. The idea behind the whole event is to induce the animal to run past you over and over again. However, it’s interesting yet confusing that the Spanish word for bullfight is corrida.
4. It’s for each age group
Most people assume that Pamplona Fiesta is a party for young people. However, the most striking feature of Fiesta is how many age brackets are represented here. Newborn babies get carried around by their ninety-nine-year-old great-grandmothers, everyone resplendent in their whites and panuelos.
There are plenty of family-friendly events happening all around the streets of Pamplona.
5. You will come back again
On the evening of July 14th at midnight people return to the square in front of the town hall. after this, they remove their panuelos for the last time. The removal of panuelos is followed by a singing tradition with the song of “ Probe de mi” “Poor me, Poor me, for the Fiesta of San Fermin has come to a close”
Lots of tears will be shared and fireworks will be let off but the song is not all doom and gloom. Once you have been to the fiesta there is no escape. You’ll be ready and raring to go and attend the next. The song even includes the line “There is not long to go”. Of course, there is not. iYa falta menos!.
