Spain's famous running of the bulls festival begins in Pamplona's packed streets | Fox News Spain's famous running of the bulls festival begins in Pamplona's packed streets Published July 06, 2014 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Email Print A butterfly rests on the finger of an anti-bullfighting demonstrator a she protest against the bulls runs, on the Ayuntamiento Square in Pamplona northern Spain, Saturday, July 5, 2014. On July 6, the San Fermin festival will begin with the ''txupinazo'' , the opening ceremony with people participating in bull runs, music and dance, through the old street of the city. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) (The Associated Press) Anti-bullfighting demonstrators, with their bodies covered with blood, right, protest against the bull runs on the Ayuntamiento Square in Pamplona northern Spain, Saturday, July 5, 2014. On July 6, the San Fermin festival will begin with the ''txupinazo'' , the opening ceremony with people participating in bull runs, music and dance, through the old street of the city.

(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) (The Associated Press) A butterfly rests on the finger of an anti-bullfighting demonstrator a she protest against the bulls runs, while displaying a banner which reads, ''You Run. Bulls Die'', on the Ayuntamiento Square in Pamplona northern Spain, Saturday, July 5, 2014. On July 6, the San Fermin festival will begin with the ''txupinazo'' , the opening ceremony with people participating in bull runs, music and dance, through the old street of the city. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) (The Associated Press) Hemingway¿s great-grandson goes to running of the bulls in Pamplona 90 years after Ernest first visited | Daily Mail Online comments The great grandson of Ernest Hemingway has run with the bulls in Pamplona exactly ninety years after the author visited the festival for the first time. Michael Hemingway took pictures of the famous run. Ernest Hemingway made the festival so famous it now attracts around one million visitors.

Dressed in white with a red neckerchief Hemingway junior joined several thousand other thrill seekers as they sprinted through the narrow cobbled streets of Pamplona chased by six half-tonne Iberian fighting bulls and six steers. Scroll down for video Photographer-in-waiting: Michael Hemingway, 16, Ernest Hemmingway's great-grandson, waits on Estafeta street with his camera to takes his position early in the morning Keeping it in the family: Michael Hemingway, 16, right, Ernest Hemingways great-grandson, takes photos beside his father, John, 53, at the San Fermin fiestas, in Pamplona northern Spain Time for a drink: Michael (left) and John (right) Hemingway. The event became world famous following the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel 'The Sun Also Rises' In 1923 Hemingway made his first visit to San Fermin to cover the nine-day festival for Canada's Toronto Star, a visit he used as the basis for his novel 'Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises'.

The fiesta in northern Spain is now one of the biggest street parties in the world and each year the population swells from just under 200,000 to more than a million as people travel from all over the world to experience it. Since Hemingway's visit there are some notable changes, back then women were not allowed to take part in the morning runs, when the bulls charge from one end of the old quarter to the other to be killed that evening in the bullring. Topical: The Sun Also Rises is a 1926 novel written by American author Ernest Hemingway about a group of American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights The event demands nerves of steel, quick relfexes and the ability to run like the wind. During Spain's infamous running of the bulls, thousands of daredevils race through the streets of Pamplona - with a herd of bulls hot on their heels.

Runners - or 'mozos' - raced through the streets of the northern Spanish city of Pamplona today in a hair-raising but relatively clean second bull run of the famed annual San Fermin festival. more videos Video shows J.C. Penney employee putting woman in headlock Run! The festival is a symbol of Spanish culture that attracts thousands of tourists to watch the bull runs despite heavy condemnation from animal rights groups Snap-happy: Michael Hemingway, 16, snaps a few more pics of the event which is televised nationally and is the highlight of the nine-day street partying festival Look out! The annual Fiesta de San Fermin was made famous by the 1926 novel 'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemmingway The daredevils - quickly followed by the bulls - run through the historic heart of Pamplona for nine days as part of the adrenalin-fuelled fiesta There were no gorings in the run and four people were treated in city hospitals for injuries suffered in falls, Navarra Hospital chief Javier Sesma said.

The early morning race saw thrill-seekers dashing alongside six fighting bulls and six bell-tinkling steers that try to keep the creatures together along the narrow 930-yard (850-meter) course from a holding pen to the city bull ring. Today's run lasted just over two minutes. The run is televised nationally and is the highlight of the nine-day street partying festival, which became world famous following the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel 'The Sun Also Rises.' 'Never again,' said Jonathan Chadwick, 31, an engineer from Auckland, New Zealand, who said it was his 'first and last time' to run. Father and son: Michael Hemingway, 16, left walks beside his father, John, 53. Ernest Hemingway never actually took part in the running of the bull because he had shrapnel left over from the war and it made running difficult Rex Ryan also spent part of his summer vacation running from angry bulls. The New York Jets coach came to the event too. The team confirmed Monday that Ryan was uninjured while participating both days in the run.

Ben Patton, a contestant on NBC's matchmaker show "Ready for Love," tweeted an Instagram photo of himself and some friends posing with Ryan in Pamplona. Well, it's something to do! Rex Ryan ran twice with the bulls and hung out at the Fiesta de San Fermin. Photographic evidence of the Jets coach wearing a 'Bad Toro' T-shirt surfaced at the weekend courtesy of Ben Patton There were no gorings in the run and four people were treated in city hospitals for injuries suffered in falls, a hospital chief said A reveler, left, falls on the Estafeta corner as others keep running with Dolores Aguirre Ybarra ranch fighting bulls A steer runs towards revellers during the running. The bulls that are run each morning are invariably killed in evening bull fights The heart-stopping run and subsequent parties were originally organised in honor of San Fermin, patron saint of Navarra HOW THE BULL RUNNING BEGAN The origin of the controversial fiesta stems from the need to move the bulls from the off-site corrals to the bullring where they would be killed in the evening. Foolish youngsters would dash in amongst the creatures to prove their bravery.

In Pamplona the festival is run to honour San Fermin, the city's saint, and runs between July 6 and 14. Runners wear red and white, ask San Fermin for protection, and hold rolled up newspapers in case they need to distract the bulls. They run from the corrals, through the streets, before finally ending in the bull ring. Each year hundreds of people are injured, and occasionally killed, in the fiesta. Three Spaniards and a 41-year-old man from Pheonix, Arizona, were injured but none were in a serious condition, according to the Navarra regional government press office. The bulls that are run each morning are invariably killed in evening bull fights, and their meat is served up in Pamplona's restaurants. Animals rights groups have previously slammed the event, branding it cruel to the bulls forced to run. A PETA spokesman slammed the event, and called for a boycott of the annual festival. They said: 'In this day and age, it's appalling that sensitive animals are still being tormented and killed in front of a screaming crowd.

'PETA and Spanish group AnimaNaturalis are joining compassionate people from around the world in condemning this cruel blood sport – and in urging tourists to stay far away from the bullfights.' The heart-stopping run and subsequent parties were originally organised in honor of San Fermin, patron saint of Navarra, although the religious aspect has now faded. The bull run begins with the runners chanting for protection as they stand just a few metres up the slope from the corral where the bulls are waiting. They raise their rolled newspapers and chant to an image of San Fermin placed in a small recess in the wall in the Cuesta de Santo Domingo. A steer lays on the ground during the running.

Many animals rights groups have denounced the event as cruel to the bulls Several hundred runners or 'mozos' are chased by bulls: The bull run begins with the runners chanting for protection as they stand just a few metres from the animals Before running, runners or 'mozos' raise their rolled newspapers and chant to an image of San Fermin asking for help Panic: The early morning race saw thrill-seekers dashing alongside six fighting bulls and six bell-tinkling steers that try to keep the animals together Against a backdrop of silence, they chant: 'A San Fermin pedimos, por ser nuestro patron, nos guie en el encierro dandonos su bendicion,' translated as: 'We ask San Fermin, being our patron saint, to guide us in the bull run and give us his blessing'. When they finish they shout 'Viva San Fermin!, Gora San Fermin,' the official website said. This chant is sung three times before 8am, until the gates are opened and the bulls released. After the launching of two rockets, the bulls charge behind the runners for 825 metres, the distance between the corral and the bullring.

Yesterday emergency services to tended to an injured runner who had defied safety - and possibly sanity - to dash through the streets chased by bulls Almost there: A runner sprints in front of a a fighting bull at the entrance to the bull ring in Pamplona The run - which lasted two minutes this year - is televised nationally and is the highlight of the nine-day street partying festival Made it to the ring: Three Spaniards and a 41-year-old man from Pheonix, Arizona, were injured but none were in a serious condition When a third rocket is fired from the bullring it signals that all the bulls have entered the bullring. A fourth and final rocket declares that all the bulls are safely in the corral located inside the bullring, and that the bull run has ended. Although Pamplona is arguably the most famous of places for the running of the bulls, the tradition is carried out around Spain. But in one place, people ended up swimming, rather than running, with the bulls. Many jump into the sea during the traditional ''Bous a la Mar' festival in the eastern Spanish coastal town of Denia, near Alicante. Boats could be seen sailing up to the bulls to help guide them to shore afterwards.

During this festival, revellers emerging from protective barriers provoke bulls to chase them until they both fall into sea. The bulls are then rescued by small boats which will tow them to safety. People jump with a bull into the sea during the traditional running of bulls at Denia's harbour, near Alicante Animal rights groups have criticised the nationwide event, which sees bulls chase people - even into the sea A bull swims next to revellers after jumping into the sea during the 'Bous a la Mar' festival in the eastern Spanish coastal town of Denia Men on a boat tow a bull during the traditional running of bulls 'Bous a la mar' festival The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain - TIME Follow @TIME As they have each July for centuries, the narrow, cobblestone streets of Pamplona, Spain, are thundering with the sound of charging bulls. The weeklong annual celebration originated as a religious festival to honor St. Fermin, the patron saint of this small city in Spain's northern Basque region.

Today the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world, many of whom are drawn to its world-famous encierro, or running of the bulls, which begins July 7 and was made famous outside Spain by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 classic The Sun Also Rises. The running of the bulls began as a way to move bulls from Pamplona's corral to its bullfighting ring. The animals would run the roughly half-mile stretch as children and adults herded them with shouts and sticks. The practice may date back as far as the 13th century, but it is known to have continued virtually uninterrupted since 1592, when the festival was moved from September to July. People are thought to have joined the herd sometime in the 1800s. (See pictures of Spain's Semana Santa festival.) Nowadays, thousands of participants from around the world dash through Pamplona's streets trailed by charging bulls. Thousands more watch from safe nooks and balconies along the route, and spectators can also follow the events on national TV.

Every morning from July 7 to 14, hordes of daredevils gather in a historic section of the city, many dressed in traditional garb and carrying rolled-up newspapers to swat the bulls if necessary. They sing a traditional homage to St. Fermin, asking him to guide them through the run. After two small rockets are fired, six bulls are released (along with a herd of steers), and the chase is on. The event generally takes just a few minutes. (Read a TIME article from 1932 about Pamplona's running of the bulls.) As one might imagine, running with an angry, half-ton bull on your heels is not a particularly safe pastime. Since 1924, 14 people have been killed at the St. Fermin festival; the last to be fatally gored was a 22-year-old American, Matthew Tassio, in 1995. Witnesses said Tassio was knocked to the ground by a bull, then got up again and was struck by a second animal  a violation of the axiom that runners should remain on the ground if they get knocked down.

Many people are injured each year, by both the animals and the crush of sprinters frantically making their way to the bullfighting arena on slippery cobblestones. Observers say foreigners  especially, for some reason, Americans  are most likely to be injured. "Americans come here with the image of The Sun Also Rises and just don't realize how dangerous it is and how easy it is to trip up," Daniel Ross, an American vice consul in Spain, told the New York Times after Tassio's accident. Another factor fueling injuries in Pamplona is alcohol. As Hemingway chronicled, the festival is awash in wine and sangria, and runners partake copiously during long nights of partying. Participating in the run while tipsy is against the festival's rules, but violations are common. Another oft broken requirement is that all runners be at least 18 years of age. Many Spaniards were outraged to see televised images of a smiling 10-year-old boy dashing through the streets of Pamplona in 2007.

The boy's mother was horrified as well; her ex-husband, who took the youngster to the festival, lost his visitation rights and was fined $200. Running with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain - Photos - The Big Picture - Boston.com Running with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain Pamplona, Spain is hosting its annual Festival of San Fermin, most famous for its "Running of the Bulls", an 800-meter chaotic dash from corral to bullring through the narrow streets of Pamplona. Once the bulls arrive at the Plaza de Toros, they are again corralled until the afternoon's bullfights (corridas). The festival, started in the sixteenth century, opened this year on July 6th, and more than a dozen participants have been seriously injured so far, with one death (due to a fall from a wall). It will continue until July 14th. ( 14 photos total ) A "recortador" leaps over a wild bull during an exhibition of riding and acrobatic skills at the bullring on the third day of the annual San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain July 8, 2008.

(REUTERS/Eloy Alonso) Participants run with Fuente Ymbro fighting bulls during the third encierro of the San Fermin festivities, on July 9, 2008, in Pamplona, Spain. (RAFA RIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) A fighting bull takes the curve during the first San Fermin running of the bulls on July 7, 2008 in Pamplona, Spain. Fighting bulls are run through the old part of Pamplona for eight days in this fiesta made famous by the 1926 Ernest Hemmingway novel 'The Sun Also Rises'. (Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Participants run ahead of Cebada Gago fighting bulls on the second day of the San Fermin festival, on July 8, 2008, in Pamplona, northern Spain. On each day of the festival six bulls are released at 8:00 a.m. to run from their corral through the narrow, cobbled streets of the old town over an 850-meter course. Ahead of them are the runners, who try to stay close to the bulls without falling over or being gored.

(PEDRO ARMESTRE/AFP/Getty Images) A fallen runner gets trampled by a Ventorrillo fighting bull on the fourth day of the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 10, 2008. (REUTERS/Joseba Etxaburu) A runner is seen after being injured during the first day of the running of the bulls during the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on Monday, July 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano) Revelers run beside as Cebada Gago's fighting bull passes during the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, July 8, 2008. The 'Los San Fermines' festival, held since 1591, attracts tens of thousands of foreign visitors each year for nine days of revelry, morning bull-runs and afternoon bullfights. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A bull jumps over runners at the end of the fourth running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 10, 2008.

(REUTERS/Joseba Etxaburu) A quad-bike rider is chased by a bull during an exhibition of riding and acrobatic skills at the bullring on the third day of the annual San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 8, 2008. (REUTERS/Eloy Alonso) French bullfighter Juan Bautista performs a pass with a bull during the fourth bullfight of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 10, 2008. (REUTERS/Susana Vera) A bull chases "recortadores" during an exhibition of riding and acrobatic skills at the bullring on the third day of the annual San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 8, 2008. (REUTERS/Eloy Alonso) Spanish matador Francisco Marco kills his Conde de la Corte fighting bull with his sword during the first corrida of the San Fermin festivities, on July 7, 2008, in Pamplona, northern Spain.

(RAFA RIVAS/AFP/Getty Images) French matador Sebastian Castella is gored by a Fuente Ymbro's ranch bull during a bullfight in Pamplona, northern Spain, Wednesday July 9, 2008, at the San Fermin festivities on The fiestas 'Los San Fermines'. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) Spanish matador Diego Urdiales makes the "paseillo" or ritual entrance to the arena before a bullfight in Pamplona, northern Spain, at the San Fermin festivities on Tuesday, July 8, 2008.

(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) More links and information: Pamplona: Running of the Bulls - Spanish Culture Spanish Culture Festivals Día de la Hispanidad Reyes Semana Santa Feria Canival Fallas Hogueras Bulls Music Los Sanfermines, known for its Running of the Bulls and made famous around the world by Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises, has gone from being a small, regional and hardly known provincial event, to becoming an international sensation that attracts thousands of visitors on a yearly basis, claiming a central place not only in the cultural calendar of the country, but also on its economic planning. So, this year, when the bulls make the rounds, why not join the masses and run along with them! With Enforex, you can! Festivals provide wonderful opportunities to get to know a given city's culture and traditions, which is precisely why our schools are open all year round... yes, even during festival seasons! This year, why not come to Pamplona and learn Spanish during the Running of the Bulls? It's guaranteed to be an experience you'll never forget!

Get more info about our Pamplona school, courses, accommodation and city guide at learn Spanish in Pamplona page. While Los Sanfermines is a festival to be experienced in person, keep reading for more information about the history and traditions of this incredible celebration. When and Where are Los Sanfermines? The week-long festival starts on July 6, the eve of the Feast of Saint Fermin, with official and unofficial events taking place throughout the following week, until the grand finale, which arrives on July 14. Each day a different event takes center stage, and although the Running of the Bulls has become the quintessential symbol of the entire festival, it is actually with a simple session of daytime fireworks that the festivity is declared opened at noon of July 6. Processions are planned for the subsequent days, with an icon of the saint making the rounds on July 7, and giant figurines providing a unique local touch. While the Running of the Bulls is not unique to the sanfermines of Pamplona, the most famous of the different events including encierros in northern Spain is certainly the one that takes place in Pamplona.

Nevertheless, while it is true that towns throughout Navarre and the surrounding area have similar traditions in relation to bulls, the actual week-long festival, los sanfermines, paying tribute to Saint Fermin and involving many other activities is unique to this otherwise laid-back city, which for one week during the summer every year comes to life in an admirable and striking way. Los Sanfermines Traditions Los sanfermines kick into gear on July 6 with the txupinazo, when a rocket blasts off in front of the city hall to announce fiesta's commencement. This moment of deafening cheers and uncorked champagne bottles certainly sets the tone of the week, as the city dives headfirst into a week a crazed festivities. The chaotic running of the bulls, or el encierro, is the most characteristic and internationally renowned part of the sanfermines.

The running of the bulls takes place everyday at eight in the morning and consists of a crowd of primarily young men who run ahead of the clamoring bulls through an 830-meter stretch of cobbled road and into the city´s bullring.After each morning is greeted with the daily Running of the Bulls, bullfights liven up each afternoon, and parades featuring bands of music and enormous giants constantly wind through the streets. On July 7th, a procession dating back to the 13th century boasts music and enormous crowds as it passes through Pamplona in honor of San Fermín. Every party must come to an end, and in the case of los sanfermines that inevitable moment is called the pobre de mí. The crowd laments the end of another year's festivities with the traditional song, the pobre de mí, literally meaning "poor me." History of Los Sanfermines Held annually since 1591, the weeklong festival celebrates Pamplona's son-turned-saint San Fermín.

Living circa 3AD when Pamplona was part of the expansive Roman Empire, San Fermín learned of Christianity from the French bishop San Saturnino, who had come to Pamplona to spread the good word. San Fermín found himself so inspired that he travelled to France to study and eventually become a bishop himself. That accomplished, he followed in San Saturnino's footsteps and took to the spreading of Christianity, but on one of his stops came up against some local powers in France who were quite opposed to the idea. Refusing to abandon his cause, San Fermín was beheaded and interred. However, part of his remains made their way back to his hometown of Pamplona, which made him quite popular in the city. So popular, in fact, that not long afterwards townspeople initiated an annual festival to honor him. How exactly that evolved into the nonstop week of partying and running of the bulls that it is today remains a mystery! More Spanish Festivals 1000+ images about Places. Pamplona. Spain. on Pinterest | Running of the bulls, Pamplona and Spain Pamplona, Spain. The running of the bulls.

If something really huge is falling on you, don't run along the length just take like two steps to the side... See More 1000+ images about Navarra (Spain) on Pinterest | The gypsy, Days in and The sun also rises Forward Café Iruña, Iruña /Pamplona. Fundado en 1888 por un grupo de pamploneses, fue el primer establecimiento con luz eléctrica de Pamplona, “se abrió al público en vísperas de San Fermín llenándose hasta los porches”, según dicen las crónicas de la época See More Man sought by police after taking a Selfie at Pamplona bull run 2014 | Metro UK Is this Pamplona bull run selfie the most dangerous or coolest ever? Monday 14 Jul 2014 1:07 pm Probably not the safest thing to do when trying to escape a herd of marauding cattle.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This man was filmed during the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, trying to take an ‘extreme selfie’ – a practice that was outlawed in Spain earlier this year. He is now sought by Spanish police and faces a fine. Three Britons have been fined already this year, with the law stating that anyone who endangers his or her life by taking a selfie during the bull run can be fined up to €2,050. A participant runs in front of Jandilla's bulls as he takes a "selfie" (photograph of himself) during the fifth bull-run of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 11, 2014. Spanish authorities are cracking down on dare devils who shoot camera footage even as they risk their lives by running with half-tonne fighting bulls at the annual San Fermin festival.

PHOTO/ RAFA RIVASRAFA RIVAS/AFP/Getty Images A runner is gored by a Miura fighting bull at Estafeta corner during the eighth running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 14, 2014. The festival, a heady mix of drinking, dancing, late nights and bullfights, made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his novel “The Sun Also Rises”, runs for nine days until July 14. Two runners were treated after being gored following the run that lasted four minutes and forty seven seconds, according to local media. REUTERS/Vincent West – A reveler runs with his leg injured after he was gored by a Miura fighting bull during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls.

(AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) A reveler is tossed by a Miura fighting bull as other fall during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) A bull from the Miura ranch gores a ‘mozo’ or runner at the Estafeta street during the eighth bull run at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, 14 July 2014. Two runners were gored and another five injured after being knocked over during the last race of the nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorating St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint.

EPA/JESUS DIGES A ‘mozo’ or runner (L) falls to the ground after his t-shirt got caught on the horn of a Fuente Ymbro’s bull, as another participant is trod down, on their way along the Estafeta stretch during the sixth bullrun at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, 12 July 2014. The annual nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorates St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint. EPA/JESUS DIGES Two ‘mozos’ or runners fall in front of Fuente Ymbro’s bulls on their way along the Estafeta stretch, during the sixth bullrun at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, 12 July 2014. The annual nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorates St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint. EPA/JESUS DIGES Revellers pull down their trousers during the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 12, 2014.

The festival, a heady mix of drinking, dancing, late nights and bullfights, made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his novel “The Sun Also Rises”, runs for nine days until July 14. REUTERS/Joseba Extaburu A young man is tossed by a young bull inside the Monumental bullring at the end of the sixth bullrun of the Festival of San Fermin (or Sanfermines) in Pamplona, Spain, 12 July 2014. The annual nine day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorates St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint. EPA/JOSU SANTESTEBAN A twofold composite picture shows a view of Estafeta street moments before (L) and during the sixth bullrun with bulls from the Fuente Ymbro ranch at the Festival of San Fermin (or Sanfermines) in Pamplona, Spain, 12 July 2014. The annual nine day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorates St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint.

EPA/JESUS DIGES A ”recortador” jumps over a bull during a competition at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, July 12, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive in Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) A ”recortador” jumps over a bull during a competition at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, July 12, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive in Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Revelers run on the way from Estafeta corner to the bull ring with ”Adolfo Martin” ranch bulls, during the running of the bulls, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Sunday July 13, 2014.

Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls- (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A runner stumbles in front of a bull from the Adolfo Martin ranch at the entrance to the bullring in the seventh bullrun during the Festival of San Fermin (or Sanfermines) in Pamplona, northern Spain, 13 July 2014. The annual nine day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorates St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint. EPA/VILLAR LOPEZ A reveler faces a fighting bull during the running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Sunday, July 13, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive in Pamplona every year to take part on some of the eight days of the running of the bulls.

(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) Adolfo Martin fighting bulls and revelers run on Estafeta street as people watch them from the balconies during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Sunday, July 13, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive in Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) A young bull tries to jump over an obstacle during an exhibition of riding and and acrobatic skills at the Monumental bullring at the Festival of San Fermin (or Sanfermines) in Pamplona, Spain, 13 July 2014. People from all over the world visit Pamplona every year to take part in the annual nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorating St. Fermin, the city’s patron saint.

EPA/JESUS DIGES A runner pulls the tail of a bull from the Adolfo Martin ranch as another lays on the ground during the seventh bullrun of the Festival of San Fermin (or Sanfermines) in Pamplona, northern Spain, 13 July 2014. The annual nine day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorates St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint. EPA/DANIEL FERNANDEZ A runner is tossed by a Miura fighting bull at Estafeta corner during the eighth running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 14, 2014. A bull gored two men after breaking away from the pack and chasing them through the streets of Pamplona in the closing run of the San Fermin festival on Monday. Several men have already been gored by bulls during this year’s festival but Monday’s run, the eighth and last, was particularly brutal. One of the six bulls broke away from the others and charged several runners, lifting two of them off the ground on its horns and ripping through their legs.

REUTERS/Vincent West A fallen reveler covers his head as a Miura’s ranch fighting bull pass over him during the running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive in Pamplona every year to take part on some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) A woman runner is attended by medical assistant during the running of the bull with ”Miura” ranch fighting bulls, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) ‘Olivito’, a bull from the Miura ranch, gores a ‘mozo’ or runner during the eighth bull run at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, 14 July 2014.

Two runners were gored and another five injured after being knocked over during the last race of the nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorating St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint. EPA/VILLAR LOPEZ ‘Olivito’, a bull from the Miura ranch, gores a ‘mozo’ or runner during the eighth bull run at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, 14 July 2014. Two runners were gored and another five injured after being knocked over during the last race of the nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta commemorating St. Fermin, Pamplona’s patron saint. EPA/VILLAR LOPEZ A Miura fighting bull falls as revelers run during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls.

(AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) A reveler is pushed by a cow in the bull ring, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A reveler is pushed by a cow in the bull ring, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A reveler grimaces as he was pushed by a cow in the bull ring, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls.

(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A reveler is pushed by a cow in the bull ring, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A reveler tries to protect himself off a cow in the bull ring, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A runner is gored by the Miura bull during the last bull run of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 14, 2014.

AFP PHOTO/ ANDER GILLENEAANDER GILLENEA/AFP/Getty Images Revelers run as Miura fighting bulls fall during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive in Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) Revelers run as Miura fighting bulls fall during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive in Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki) A reveler tries to protect himself off a cow in the bull ring, at the San Fermin festival, in Pamplona, Spain, Monday, July 14, 2014. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in some of the eight days of the running of the bulls.

(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) A participant is hurled up against a barrier by a Miura bull after being gored in the thigh during the last bull-run of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain on July 14, 2014. The festival is a symbol of Spanish culture that attracts thousands of tourists to watch the bull runs despite heavy condemnation from animal rights groups. AFP PHOTO / INAKI VERGARAINAKI VERGARA/AFP/Getty Images A participant is hurled up against a barrier by a Miura bull after being gored in the thigh during the last bull-run of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain on July 14, 2014. The festival is a symbol of Spanish culture that attracts thousands of tourists to watch the bull runs despite heavy condemnation from animal rights groups.

AFP PHOTO / INAKI VERGARAINAKI VERGARA/AFP/Getty Images PAMPLONA, SPAIN – JULY 14: Revellers run with Miura’s fighting bulls at Calle Estafeta as people look over from balconies during the ninth day of the San Fermin Running Of The Bulls festival on July 14, 2014 in Pamplona, Spain. The annual Fiesta de San Fermin, made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemingway ‘The Sun Also Rises’, involves the running of the bulls through the historic heart of Pamplona. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images) > For Better or Worse, Running of the Bulls Comes to U.S. - History in the Headlines For Better or Worse, Running of the Bulls Comes to U.S. August 6, 2013 By Sarah Pruitt Day 2 of the 2013 Fiesta de San Fermin. Share this: For Better or Worse, Running of the Bulls Comes to U.S. Author For Better or Worse, Running of the Bulls Comes to U.S.

URL Google Made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises,” the fiesta (or festival) of San Fermín, or Sanfermines, better known to many as the running of the bulls, draws people from all over the world to the northern Spanish city of Pamplona each July. Every morning of the weeklong festival, tens of thousands of spectators line the cobblestone streets to see the bulls for that night’s bullfight race from their corral to the bullring, while several thousand brave (or reckless) men and women race alongside them. Now, this centuries-old Spanish tradition is being imported to the United States, in the form of an event called the Great Bull Run. On August 24, thousands of daredevils will get their chance to run with the bulls in Richmond, Virginia, while future dates are planned in Georgia, Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Named for the patron saint of Pamplona, Sanfermines has roots dating back to the Middle Ages in the Spanish region of Navarra.

The festival evolved from the religious ceremonies held in honor of San Fermín in the 12th century, combined with later trade fairs held in the region and, of course, bullfights, which were first documented in the 14th century. Though initially held on October 10, the celebrations were moved in 1591 to July to coincide with the annual fair (and avoid the inclement October weather). By the 17th and 18th centuries, the festival included music, dancing, acrobatics, as well as bullfights; later spectacles included fireworks displays, exotic animals and a parade of giant papier-mâché heads known as the Comparsa de Gigantes y Cabezudos (Parade of Giants and Big Heads). At the heart of the eight-day festival is the encierro, when about a dozen bulls are released from their corral just outside Pamplona’s medieval stone wall at 8 o’clock each morning. The mighty animals—some weighing more than 1,500 pounds—then rush through cobblestone streets and alleys to the city’s central bullring, where they will participate in that evening’s corrida (bullfight).

Thousands of human runners accompany them on the 825-meter distance, cheered on by the spectators who line the streets. The run usually lasts between three and four minutes, but can take as many as 10, especially if one of the animals loses his way and gets isolated from the others. Dozens of people are injured each year during Sanfermines; many trip and fall, but others are gored by one of the massive bulls. During last month’s festivities alone, there were six gorings and 48 hospital cases. Since recordkeeping began in 1924, bulls have killed a total of 15 people in Sanfermines. Despite—or perhaps because of—its element of danger, the festival has become internationally famous, thanks in no small part to its romantic portrayal in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” known in the Spanish-speaking world simply as “Fiesta.” Hemingway first visited Pamplona in July 1923, with his first wife, Hadley Richardson. He became fascinated by bullfighting and bullfighters, and returned to the festival numerous times, including his last visit in 1959.

As a correspondent for the Toronto Star, the young writer actually took part in the encierro in 1924, and a false rumor spread that he had been gored by one of the bulls. Hemingway’s writings helped build the festival’s fame worldwide, and drew an ever-more international audience to Pamplona’s streets each year. Organizers of the Great Bull Run now plan to bring the excitement from Pamplona to the United States, and from cobblestone streets to drag-racing strips and horse racing tracks. The first event will take place on August 24 near Richmond, Virginia; a second is planned for October in Conyers, Georgia. Some 5,000 people have already signed up for the Richmond run, and organizers expect a similar number—or more—for the Georgia event. Future runs are planned for sites in Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Illinois and Pennsylvania. To address safety concerns, the Great Bull Run’s regulations include a minimum age of 18 for participants and no alcohol is permitted. In addition, a series of gaps (or “coves”) will be provided in the course’s fencing to allow participants to escape during the runs.

The bulls used will also be locally bred and less aggressive than Spain’s fighting bulls, and participants are prohibited from touching the animals during the run. Despite these precautions, the event’s website warns: “By participating in the run, you accept the risk that you might be trampled, gored, rammed or tossed in the air by a bull, or bumped, jostled, tripped or trampled by your fellow runners….Make no mistake: You could get seriously injured in this event.” Along with bullfighting in general, bull runs such as the ones in Sanfermines have long provoked controversy. Animal rights groups have raised serious concerns over the treatment of the bulls used in runs and fights, arguing that the animals are tortured and killed for entertainment. In 2012, Catalonia (which includes Barcelona) became the second Spanish region to ban bullfighting entirely. For their part, organizers of the Great Bull Run have stated that the bulls that run in their events will not be killed or abused in any way, and that a veterinarian will be on site to regularly check the animals’ health.

Despite these assurances, the Humane Society has expressed concern, calling the events “a shameful example of cruelty for the sake of nothing more than entertainment and profit.” Tags Spain Festivals | Travel Guide to Festivals in Spain | Spanish Fiestas Tweet Spain is the land of fiestas or festivals. In every single city, town and village there is a festival of some kind which gets all the townsfolk out on the streets partying with their neighbours. The biggest festivals of international fame are the bullrunning of Pamplona , the fireworks of Las Fallas in Valencia, the mock battles of Moros y Cristianos in Alcoy, Semana Santa in all of Andalucia and the massive Feria de Abril in Seville. In all of Andalucia there are bullfighting, flamenco, music and wine festivals whilst in small towns you’ll come across all kinds of strange festivals such as a snail festival in Lleida, a seafood festival in O’Grove and a paella festival in Sueca. Spanish Festivals Below we’ve included links to some of the more famous festivals in Spain and will continue to add more including the not so well known. February

Question: Which northern Spanish city is famous for the ‘Running of the Bulls’?
Answer: Pamplona