It is fantastic what, over the centuries, has ended up happening around San Fermín. The saint patron of Navarre already had its celebration in medieval times, but over time, it ended mixing its date with merchant fairs and the bullfights at the beginning of summer.
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It is fantastic what, over the centuries, has ended up happening around San Fermín. The saint patron of Navarre already had its celebration in medieval times, but over time, it ended mixing its date with merchant fairs and the bullfights at the beginning of summer.
But the real fuss started almost a hundred years ago when a young writer named Ernest Hemingway came up with the idea of talking about it in his novels. And then, everyone began to ask themselves where exactly Pamplona was and what sort of big party was being celebrated there.
The fact is that between the chupinazo, the firing of a rocket to start the festival on the six of July and the farewell of the feast on the midnight of July 14, the population of the city multiplies by six, filling up with people wanting to party and sing the Riau-Riau. But if the Sanfermines are famous around the entire world is, without a doubt, because of the running of the bulls, the encierro. Every morning, the bulls that fight during the afternoon are led from the corrals to the bullring running through the streets of the old town, just as it was done when there were no trucks or vans. But at the end of the nineteenth century, someone had the idea of doing it the other way around, and people began to play the game in front of the bulls.
This event, known all over the world, has left us several anecdotes, such as the shortest running of the bulls which took place in 1997 with a record of 1 minute 45 seconds, and the longest in 1886 with a duration of 6 and a half hours. The problem was that the bull stood up in the bullring and there was no way to get it out. In 1924, a man from Pamplona was the first victim in an encierro, and in 1883 the bulls killed 16 horses in the bullring. This crazy race has been broadcast live on television since 1982.
In addition to bullfights, encierros, white uniforms and red handkerchiefs, in the Sanfermines there are fireworks, music, wine, chistorra and a small remain of the religious origin of the festival… And… What would Saint Fermin think of these chaotic, marvellous and world-famous celebrations?
