Long, long ago, Pamplona’s fiesta in honor of its patron saint San Ferm?n was just another religious holiday. These days San Fermines, July 6-14, is the most talked about holiday in Spain and on the European backpacker circuit. Ever since Nobel-prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway brought the city international attention with The Sun Also Rises, hordes of visitors from around the world have come to witness and experience the legendary running of the bulls. At the bullring, a statue of Hemingway welcomes fans to Europe’s premier festival, an eight-day extravaganza of dancing, dashing, and of course, drinking.
The Running of the Bulls, called the encierro, is the focal point of San Fermines. The ritual dates back to the 14th century, when it served the practical function of getting the bulls from their corrals to the bullring. These days, the first encierro of the festival takes place at 8am on July 7 and is repeated at 8am every day for the following seven days. Hundreds of bleary-eyed, hung-over, hyper-adrenalized runners flee from very large bulls as bystanders cheer from barricades, windows, balconies, and doorways. Not surprisingly, hung-over foreigners have the highest rate of injury. Experienced runners get lots of sleep the night before and arrive at the course no later than 7am.
