Running of the Bulls, Pamplona

Running of the bulls

The festival of San Fermin takes place annually from 6 to 14 of July but the running of the bulls starts on 7 of July.

The festival kicks off with a fireworks display known as “Chupinazo” in front of Pamplona's city hall, and the next morning the real fun starts: the bull runs. The runs start on the second day of the festival (July 7th) and happen every morning after that until the last day of the festival (July 14th). The runs start with the release of a rocket, after which the bulls and steers are released onto the streets, and the runners start running. The run is a total of 900 yards (2,700 feet) and is only supposed to take about two minutes. The route is clearly marked by barricades that keep the animals from escaping into other parts of the city.

History

The origin of this event comes from the need to transport the bulls from the fields outside the city, where they were bred, to the bullring, where they would be killed in the evening. During this 'run', youngsters would jump among them to show off their bravado. In Pamplona and other places, the six bulls in the event are still those that will feature in the afternoon bullfight of the same day.

Spanish tradition says the true origin of the run began in northeastern Spain during the early 14th century. While transporting cattle in order to sell them at the market, men would try to speed the process by hurrying their cattle using tactics of fear and excitement. After years of this practice, the transportation and hurrying began to turn into a competition, as young adults would attempt to race in front of the bulls and make it safely to their pens without being overtaken. When the popularity of this practice increased and was noticed more and more by the expanding population of Spanish cities, a tradition was created and stands to this day.

Conclusion

I chose this festival because I have family en Spain and I was interesed in the history of the festival because I thought it was entertaining.