Pamplona and Running of the Bulls

Written Sunday July 10

Finally classes are over!  We had quite the hectic last week filled with tests, essays, and presentations for every class.  It was very rough and I was pretty exhausted, but classes are over now.  Although I am really happy to finish with class, it makes me sad because the end of classes mean that the end of our study abroad program is near.

For our very last weekend in Spain, we experienced San Fermin, the crazy fiesta in Pamplona that is known for the Running of the Bulls.

At 3:00pm on Saturday, we met at the UIMP to get on the bus.  The ride took about three hours, but went pretty fast because I took a little nap.  The bus dropped us off at the bus station in Pamplona.  Right away, we saw a ton of people filling up the streets of the city.  During los sanfermines, everyone wears white shirts and white pants with a red pañuelo (scarf) and a red belt that you tie around your waist.  We were already wearing our white clothes, so we went to a mall to buy our red pañuelos and belts.  Once we had our proper attire, we were off to explore the city.

Walking down the streets in Pamplona

The major plaza in the city

A stage in the plaza where local bands played

All areas of the city were filled with people.  It was hard walking with our big group of 27 students through the enormous crowds.  Eventually we did break off depending on what people wanted to do.  We didn't have a hotel room or a hostel, so our plan was to stay up the entire night hanging out in Pamplona.  This what people typically do during la fiesta de San Fermín- stay up all night, watch the running of the bulls during the morning, sleep during early and late afternoon, and then repet.

A person can watch the encierro (running of the bulls) in two ways.  First, you can stand on the street to watch the encierro.  With this option, you really get to witness the environment on the street and see the runners and bulls racing by.  However, this does have several negative options.  The actual encierro only lasts about 2 minutes and 30 seconds, so you would only get to see about 10-20 seconds of the people and bulls.  In order to get a spot where you can actually see, you need to stake a spot starting at 4:00am.  Even if you do get a good spot, you will have to spend four hours fighting to keep your spot.  Although it is unlikely, there is the posiblity of the bull running into the crowd.  The second option was to buy tickets to see the end of the running of the bulls where the people and bulls run into the bullfighting arena.  You are guaranteed a seat without any threat of injury.  We decided to buy the tickets to watch the end of the encierro.

The bullfighting arena in the city

Fences lined up along the streets in preparation for the running of the bulls

For the entire night, we just walked around the city, danced at a club, and watched a concert in the plaza.  We even participated in a parade through the streets.  It was a lot of fun, and the time surprisngly went by pretty fast.  Our group did a really good job keeping track of everyone.  With thousands of people packed into the streets, it was very easy to get lost.

Watching the concert at night

Some locos climbing up the light posts during the concert

To basically sum up the atmosphere in Pamplona, the best word I can use to describe it is "crazy."  I have never been to anything like this in my life.  I suppose it is probably pretty similar to Marti Gras, but I don't really know.  The streets are filled with trash, empty bottles, and cups, but to be honest I was expecting there to be more trash than there actually was.  People cover every inch of the street, and their crisp, white clothes have now changed to the color pinkish purple. 

Around 3:00am, we were getting pretty tired, so we decided to hang out in a park.  It was located on the outskirts of the streets, so there weren't nearly as many people.  Like most of the people in the park, we actually fell asleep in the grass!  Some of the people come prepared and bring sleeping bags, but we just layed on the ground.  It was really cold!  I actually think I got at least 45 minutes of sleep, so that helped me get through the rest of the trip.

At 5:30, we decided to get seats to watch the encierro in the bullfighting arena.  We got there when there weren't to many people in the stands, so we got great seats.  A tradicional band played music while we waited for the running of the bulls to start.  The crowd kept us entertained by singing some songs, chanting, and doing the wave.  By the time 8:00 came around, the arena was packed and some people even had to stand because there weren't anymore seats.  A group of Spanish teenagers from Madrid sat next to me, so it was great to be able to talk to them and ask questions about what was going on.  I was really proud to have an effective conversation with people my age!  They did think I was a bit of a dork when I said that I liked the art museums in Madrid.

A band playing music prior to the encierro

The group of medics meeting before the running of the bulls

Even though we couldn't see the bulls running through the streets, we did see the encierro on a screen that was set up in the arena.  The race begins with the racers singing to San Fermín and asking for his protection during the encierro.  Then a rocket goes off to signify the beginning of the running of the bulls!  Hundereds of brave people run through the narrow streets trying to avoid the bulls.  You can get seriously injured from the bulls, but the major danger is avoiding the other runners.  It's easy to get knocked down in the huge crowd, and both people and bulls can trample you.  While we watched the encierro from the saftey of the stands in the arena, we did see a few people fall and get trampled.  Fortunately, there were no serious injuries or deaths during this particular encierro on Sunday.

Singing to San Fermín

The encierro begins!

To finish the race, all of the runners and bulls run into the arena.  A huge flood of white enters the arena, and later parts when the bulls enter.  The bulls are directly led into their pens.  These bulls will be used in the bullfights that take place every evening around 6:00pm.

The men starting to run into the arena

Here come the bulls!

Once everyone settles down from the excitement of the encierro, younger, weaker bulls are released into the crowd of runners.  I don't really understand the purpose of this, but the bull just runs around the sand of the arena.  This bull has a special apparatus placed onto its horns so that it doesn't injure the people.  Some runners try to touch the bull, while others (in my opinion) torture the animal.  They pulled its tail, grabbed onto its horns, and tried to jump on its back.  Apparently these actions are considered unacceptable, and other runners actually tried to beat up those who treated the bulls very poorly.

Trying to touch the little bull

When the little bull enters the arena, it jumps over the men who lay down in front of the pen.

Six different bulls are released into the crowd of runners.  Many people got trampled because they enticed the bull, but they got back up without any problems.  One person though got thrown off the bull when he tried to climb onto its back.  This man was carried off of the sand by other runners and given to the medics.

I really enjoyed watching the encierro or the running of the bulls, but I was unsure of how I felt about the little bulls running around the arena.  I really did not like how people would tease the bull, try to touch it, and sometimes go to far with their actions.  The crowd was really into it, but I didn't know who to cheer for- the runners or the bull.  I kept gasping whenever someone would fall or get very close to the bull.  The Spanish kids next to me kept telling me, "no pasa nada (don't worry)," but it didn't make me feel much better.

One guy from our group decided to run despite our begging him not to run.  He fortunatley did not get injured during the encierro or during the end with the bulls in the arena. He did say that he was a little too scared to go and touch the bull.

We got out of the arena at about 9:00, and our bus was coming at 10:00.  We decided to just walk back to the bus station and wait for the bus to come.  We were all really tired and dirty.  On the bus ride back, I think everyone slept the entire time.  We got back to the UIMP around 1:00pm.  I walked to my casa, ate some lunch, took a shower, and then napped for a couple more hours.

Overall, I am really happy that I went to the San Fermín/Running of the Bulls in Pamplona.  I do not think that I ever will want to go back to Pamplona for los sanfermines, but it was good to experience it once.  As a future Spanish teacher, I also think that it was beneficial to go.  Instead of just lecturing about the Running of the Bulls from a book, I can actually describe my experiences to my class.  It was a the perfect way to spend our last weekend in Spain.