Tens of thousands of jubilant participants flooded the main square in Pamplona, northern Spain, on Sunday for the “chupinazo,” the traditional firework launch that kicks off the San Fermin bull-running festival.
Virtually everyone present, including a significant number of international tourists drawn to the event, was clad in the customary white trousers and shirt, accented with a red sash and neckerchief.
As the launch rocket ignited the official festivities, celebrants enthusiastically sprayed each other with red or sparkling wine.
The festival’s highlight, the “encierros,” or bull runs, begin on Monday, held each morning for nine days. Thousands of daring (or reckless) individuals will sprint ahead of six charging bulls through a winding, cobblestoned route to the city’s bullring.
While gorings are not uncommon, many more participants sustain bruises and scrapes from falls as spectators observe from balconies and temporary wooden barriers erected along the route. The spectacle is broadcast nationally.
The remainder of each day is dedicated to feasting, drinking, dancing, and various cultural events, including bullfights where the bulls that participated in the morning runs are killed by professional matadors in the afternoon.
Ernest Hemingway’s renowned 1926 novel, *The Sun Also Rises*, chronicling the lives of American expatriates in Europe, catapulted the festival to international fame.
News Source : Irish Examiner
