Running Through Pamplona: La Fiesta de San Fermín

San Fermín’s namesake festival started way back in the Middle Ages, and is now arguably Spain’s most iconic event. Originally a religious celebration, the event honors Pamplona’s first bishop and commemorates his beheading and martyrdom in the Catholic Church. Legend has it, the man died being dragged through the streets, chased by bulls.

San Fermin is actually a collection of various Navarre traditions, starting as cattle fairs where ranchers would arrive in town to showcase their livestock. Bullfighting became the annual tradition in the 14^th century, with the first official bullring built in 1844. The original religious festivities were held Oct. 10, before Pamplona residents moved to July 7 in 1591 to coincide with the cattle fairs and to take advantage of the warmer weather.

The Running of the Bulls © Jborzicchi | Dreamstime

The Running of the Bulls started in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, as well as concerns over foreign tourists and rowdy crowds due to drinking. Los Gigantes y Cabezudos (Giants and Big-Heads) parade was added at the end of the 1800s, becoming a fixture in many Latin festivals. San Fermín reached worldwide fame with the publication of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, who was inspired by his 1925 visit to Pamplona.

Today more than one million visitors come to see the festival every year, which is comprised of several events, the most famous of which is the Running of the Bulls. The tradition was originally a practical way of getting bulls from their corrals to the bullring in the city, with people jumping in to speed them up. This practice grew into a competition where young men and women race in front of the bulls to safety, and eventually grew into a cultural tradition in Spain.

La Fiesta de San Fermin © Mmeeds | Dreamstime

A run is held every morning of the festival at 8 a.m. Six bulls and six steers run a 903-yard track, with an average speed of 15 mph. While goring is not common, it can be life threatening, though most of the Running’s injuries are contusions from falls and are not serious. Since record keeping began in 1910, there have only been 15 deaths in the bull run, and safety has been a top priority with 200 medical professionals and 20 ambulances on hand.

San Fermín inspired similar festivals and bull runs all over Spain and the world. Not all of them actually use bulls, so if you’re interested in the original festival, visit bullrunpamplona.com.

Bull Running Monument of Pamplona, Spain © Wim Wyloeck | Dreamstime