San Fermines 2007

The Spanish city of Pamplona is once again ablaze with revellers for the annual San Fermines festival, famous worldwide for the “running of the bulls”. The profile of this event is so high that the population of the city actually increases from 190,000 to a whopping 1,500,000 during this event.

The festival kicks off in style on July 6th at noon with the chupinazo, a series of fireworks let off on the Pamplona Town Hall square, followed by the reading of the pregón by the mayor. This ceremony attracts a large number of spectators year after year.

The most famous part of this festival by far is the “encierros” (the running of the bulls), in which spectators chase a pack of wild bulls down an 800m stretch for around two to three minutes. They take place on each day of the festival (7-14 July), passing through Santo Domingo hill, the Town Hall Square, Calle Mercaderes, Calle Estafeta and the Telefónica building before finally finishing in the plaza de toros (bullring). The herds are usually made up of six bulls and eight oxes, and  different  herds are used on each day of the festival.

Although its origins date back centuries, its reputation as a global festival has surged in recent years due to its ever-more peculiar nature. The festival, which was held in September until the 16th century, originally took place in three stages: religious ceremonies in honour of the city's patron saint Saint Fermin, the running of the bulls and commercial fairs, with celebrations of his mentor Saint Saturnin taking place in November. It was then decided in 1591 that the celebrations of Saint Fermin would take place in July. The city continues to hold a festival for Saint Saturnin every November, albeit these celebrations are more low-key.

The San Fermines festival usually draws to a close on July 14th with the famous song Pobre de mí (Poor Me), although the bulls carry on running the following day. This is known as the Encierro de la Bundaresa, in which runners who have missed the bull run, or who simply crave more adrenaline, chase buses belonging to the local company Bunderesa. This has been an ongoing tradition for quite some time in Pamplona.

The festival owes a great deal of its public profile to Ernest Hemingway, who centralised it in many of his books. Thanks to him and the thousands of visitors who arrive every year, this event is considered to be one of the greatest in the world, ranking along Munich's Oktoberfest and the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro.

(Photo by Smathewz)