Saint-Fermin in Pamplona
Description:
Citizens dressed in Basque national clothes - white trousers and shirts, girded with red scarves, in red berets and with red scarves around their necks, in the morning flood the square in front of the municipality. At noon on July 6, when a flare is fired from the balcony of City Hall, a lush celebration begins. "Glory to Saint Fermin!" proclaims the councillor in Spanish and Basque. The crowd echoes him. Then the audience open the bottles of champagne brought with them and begin to pour a sizzling drink heated in forty-degree heat.
On this day, musical concerts and performances, performances of “peñas” (musical groups playing ancient instruments), fireworks and parades of masks are held throughout the city; the whole city is filled with fun for several days. Celebrations become so many that because of the crowded hotels they have to sleep on the streets.
The next day, on the 7th, a solemn procession with a statue of Saint Fermin is held, in honor of him a religious mass is served. Although all festive and religious events are impressive and beautiful, the most impressive sight of this holiday is the bull run.
Encierro (from the word "locked") - the so-called mass races with bulls, held every day on the streets of Pamplona during St. Fermin. Every morning at 6.30am, the townspeople wake up to the music of the orchestras. And at exactly eight, the bulls brought to the city the day before, who will take part in the evening bullfight, are released from a pen arranged in one of the districts of the city. Once this dangerous fun was a simple transfer of fighting bulls to the bullfighting arena. Today, bulls are simply released from the pens to narrow streets fenced by special fences, along which they rush to the arena. And in front of them run hundreds of residents of the city and tourists who decided in this dangerous way to test their courage and physical fitness, and at the same time to increase the adrenaline content in the blood.
For some time before the start, spectators occupy safe places on the roofs of houses and canopies of entrances, on kiosks and lampposts. Seats on the balconies running along the route of the race cost impressive money, and sold out in advance. The participants of the race, which can become anyone, dress in white shirts and red bandages around the neck, and hold their only weapon - a newspaper. With this newspaper, experienced runners distract the attention of an angry bull who is targeting their comrades. And when the bull turns to them, their companions do the same. At exactly eight in the morning, the gates of the pens are opened on a signal rocket, releasing the crowds of six hundred kilograms of bulls maddened by the noise and minting. The second shot means all the animals have left the pen.
The Spanish fighting bull is not a simple cow or a breeding male. This is a special breed, bred over several centuries, with incredible aggressiveness, rushing to any irritating movement. These animals never retreat and always attack, regardless of who is considered the enemy. After opening the pen, the bulls see a chaotic crowd in front of them, which leads them to a state of extreme frenzy, and with all their huge mass and sharp horns they seek to destroy this stimulus. This is really a very dangerous fun, in which there is practically nothing to oppose the bull to a person, and if you consider that many tourists not only do not know the streets along which they will have to run, but also take part in the race under the influence of alcohol, it becomes clear why no Ensiero does without victims.
The city authorities repeatedly tried to impose a ban on the event, but in 1867, under pressure from the public, they were forced to make the race with bulls an official part of the celebration of Saint Fermin. But in order to avoid casualties, the following rules for participation in Ensierro were adopted and published:
1. Only persons under 18 years of age can participate in the run.
2. Access to the competition ends at 7-30 am.
3. If you are not running, do not block the front fence of the corral (corral).
4. Do not go beyond the boundaries of police fences and comply with all police requirements.
5. Do not wait for bulls in the doorways of houses, on corners or in shops and bars.
6. Do not take part in the race if you are unwell.
7. Do not hold anything in your hands when running. The only exception is the newspaper.
8. Remember that it is impossible to run the entire distance, the maximum distance you can run is 50 meters.
9. Do not stop in front of other runners and do not cross their path.
10. Do not tease, do not touch or otherwise attract the attention of bulls.
11. Do not push or push other runners away.
12. If you fall on the run, try to protect your head with your hands, and lie still until the bulls run through. The bull will try to jump over a fixed obstacle, rather than trample.
13. When you reach the bullfighting arena, move as quickly as possible to the side and move beyond the barriers.
14. Don't touch the injured runners, the medics will take care of them.
Unfortunately, even compliance with these rules cannot guarantee the safety of runners. A good example of this is 1924, when 13 people were killed by bulls and another 200 were seriously injured. But, despite the cruelty of Enciero, every year he gathers in Pamplona not one hundred thousand tourists, and the number of participants in the races does not decrease. Moreover, even those who have suffered once in this race return here again to challenge the bulls and themselves. The Spaniards call them "afcionado" - a sick Ensierro.
After all the bulls reach the arena, they will be driven into the corrals, and in the evening at half past seven these bulls will take part in bullfighting, where they will have to fight with professional bullfighters. Bullfighting lasts several hours. Folk festivities last until late at night. The next day, everything repeats itself, including the bull race. And so it's all nine days.
At the service of citizens - numerous stalls with food and goods. After all, the feast of St. Fermin is also a traditional fair. Concerts and theatrical performances are held in open venues. There are all kinds of attractions for children and adults. Folklore festivals, sports festivals are held. There are fireworks in the evening.
The celebration of St. Fermin ends with a solemn mass in the main cathedral of Pamplona, and an ancient anthem of thousands of crowds on the streets of the city on the last day of the holiday:
“Pobre de mi! Pobre de mi!
Que ya se han acabado las fiestas de San Fermin!
“Poor me, poor me!
The feast of Saint-Fermin is over!
Mayor Yolanda Barsina once reminded journalists that “the holiday in Pamplona inspired Hemingway to write the novel “Fiesta”.