Pamplona for San Fermin (Running of the Bulls)

Following our wine-tasting jaunt in Bordeaux, we hired a bus to take us across the boarder into Spain to celebrate San Fermin (more commonly known as Running of the Bulls) in Pamplona.

San Fermin is the Spanish festival celebrating Saint Fermin (duh), who is the co-patron of the Navarre region of Spain (in which Pamplona is found). Nobody is really sure as to when it started, but the festival has been celebrated uninterrupted since 1592. As for the Running of the Bulls itself (which is just one part of the festival), it first originated with the need to move the bulls from the city corral, where they were placed until the day of their fight, to the plaza de toros. The town's youth would run with and through the herd as the animals progressed through the town square. In Pamplona, Saint Fermin (who was actually martyred at Amiens) is now sometimes said to have met his end by being dragged through the streets of Pamplona by bulls. The festival became famous to the English-speaking world thanks to Hemingway’s novel “The Sun Also Rises” in which it is discussed.

We arrived in time for the opening ceremony, which took place at noon on the 6th of July. I wish I could tell you more about this ceremony, but all I know is that about half a million people (no exaggeration) packed into the town square, some rockets were set off, and then everyone started spraying each other with champagne/ketchup/wine/whatever you had. It was an amazing experience and tons of fun, but I have to say that I’ve never before been so afraid for my life. The fact that I was not trampled in the chaos is a small miracle (or large one- depending on how you look at it).

A picture I stole off the internet of the opening ceremony- we're in there somewhere!!

After the opening ceremony, we joined the other hundreds of thousands of people who were in Pamplona for what I think may be the official pastime of San Fermin: Drinking. We partook of the official drink of Pamplona: Calimocho (50% Wine, 50% Coca-Cola- surprisingly tasty!!). At 5am and on no sleep, we headed down to the course that the bulls were to take to reserve our spot for the 8am running.

Me enjoying some Calimocho

I’m finding it difficult to find words to describe the actual Running of the Bulls itself. Chaos. Thrilling. Terrifying. Amazing. And I didn’t even run! There is virtually no order to the run at all. Anyone can just show up and stand in the street, if you’re there when the bulls are let out (signified by a rocket being launched), watch out! I was shocked at the number of people who participated in the run- it had to have been in the thousands!

After the first rocket is launched, 6 bulls are released into a barricaded path down center of Pamplona leading all the way to the bull-fighting arena on the outskirts of the city. Some runners choose to jump over the barricades and out of the way of the bulls almost instantly (before the bulls are even close to them), some choose to press themselves up against the side of the walls in hopes that the herd of bulls will pass them by unnoticed, the very brave run right alongside the bulls. It is considered good luck to touch a bull’s horn during the run.

The way we figured it, the run is actually pretty safe except for two things:
1) The people. When you have 2,000 people running for their lives down a narrow street, the changes of getting swept under the stampede are high.
2) A stray bull. As long as the bulls stay in their pack, there is little chance that one will attack you. However, if a bull gets separated (which happens often as they slip on the cobble-stoned streets), watch out! A lone bull will attack everything in sight. Someone was killed on one of the last days of the Running this year after a stray bull gored him through the neck.

After the running was over, we went back to our hotel and passed out for a few hours before waking up and doing it all over again!

Our group in Pamplona

Bobby and I didn’t run, but almost everyone else in our group did. Looking back on it, I kind of wish I would have done it. I doubt if I’ll ever go back to San Fermin, so that might have been my only chance! I highly recommend the experience (by far, the most insane thing I have every witnessed), but once was enough for me.