The San Fermin Event - Essay Example

The San Fermin Event The annual festival of San Fermin is celebrated in the Spanish city of Pamplona (Navarre), and has popularly come to be known as running the bulls. People, especially the youth pit themselves in a daring manner, against wild and mad bulls in a frantic adventurous dash for their lives. It is a traditional event held in honor of Saint Fermin the co- patron of Navarre. It starts at noon on July 6 and runs until midnight of July 14. Though it is a traditional Spanish festival, it has gained international popularity with thousands of tourists in attendance every year. It is said to be one of the most spine chilling events and extra ordinary experience in the lives of those who attends it. Although bull running is the main attraction, there are other traditional events (Simonis, 2009). Historically, the event has a religious connotation spanning from the medieval epoch. Fermain, who is said to have had Roman ancestry, was converted to Christianity and baptized at Naverre. Having been ordained as a priest, he returned to Pamplona as its first Bishop. However, he was beheaded on preaching voyage and has since been regarded as a martyr in the Catholic Church. Some legend has it that he met his death after being dragged by enraged bulls on the streets of Pamplona. The event has since been held in his honor. Traditionally, the religious honoring of Saint Fermain were held in October but were later rescheduled to be held in summer when the weather was much better. The rescheduled event coincided with the bullfighting event. The bullfighting event had a commercial origin. Commercial trade fairs were organized in summer when merchants and their associates gathered in town with their cattle for business, and this led to the organization and staging of bullfighting events as a commemoration of the activities of the fair and hence became a tradition. At inception, the event was supposed to last two days but was later extended until the 10th and later to 14th, which is still observed. Many occasions were held at the festival, these include dancing, musical performance, theatre, orations, fireworks, and bullfighting (Tuchman, 2009). However, it was not until the 17th and 18th Century that the first bull-running event was witnessed and popularized. This coincided with the overwhelming presence of tourists and foreigners. It was also at this period that, concerns and alarms were raised about the excessive alcohol drinking and obscene disturbing behaviors exercised at this festival, which had religious background and was held in honor of a saint. The event continued to receive considerable amount of publicity and its transformation to include people from other cities and nations was rapid, a bullring was subsequent built, signaling the immense growth the event had realized. Hemingway’s book and his journalist activities have further transformed the event. Since his first visit in the early 1920s until the late 1950s, he described the transformation of the event and the adventure experienced. His first visit was so eye catching that he had to attend in the subsequent years. This created awareness of the event and many people continued to flood the events. July 7, which is the second day of the festival, is the most important and significant day of the event as thousands come out to escort the replica statue of the saint around the streets and parts of the medieval areas of the town. It is a huge occasion, which is well attended and represented. Politicians and key religious leaders partake in the events on this second day, as the activity of taking the replica stature is the one that really signals the importance and genesis of the festival. Street dancers, musicians and entertainers such as the Gigantes, also form part of the parade and their main task is in entertaining the crowd in a traditional fashion that radiates the medieval times. Bull-running is daily event held from the 7th to the 14th. This is held on the narrow streets of the old town with hundreds participating. Before partaking in the event that begins early in the morning, participants gather around the small wall fixed statue of Saint Fermain to seek protection and safety. Six bulls chase the running crowd until entering the bullring where the bulls are put in bullpens to participate in the afternoon entertaining bullfighting, after which they are killed. Although each conclusive run takes a bout a mere three minutes, the activity is risky and could be fatal. Several fatalities have been reported with hundreds of injuries reported. A less risky event follows the bull running, which involves cows with wrapped horns, thus not dangerous. The cows toss the participants, which draws much amusement (Mc-Graw Hill, 2009). Apart from running and chase of the bewildered bulls, there is the bullfighting, which is held late in the evening and eventually the bulls are killed. Although the bullring has been built to accommodate thousands and is third in the world in terms of size and capacity, the place is usually booked, filled to capacity and ticket sale is finished even before the event is close to be held. Traditional sports like woodcutting are also organized as a feature of the events. In this event, betting as was in the medieval times is common and allowed to facilitate the originality of the festival. A fireworks event is also held which is mesmerizing and awesome. This has led to the organization of firework contest involving other nations and consequently the international firework contest has cropped up (Leimroth & Stevens, 1984). The San Fermin Event has had great consequences and significance. Spain has used this event to preserve its long age culture and practices which could have otherwise been swallowed by modernity. This event has been used as an international symbol of the Spanish culture and identity. The Spaniards have used such event in tourism attraction and advertisement internationally. Consequently, tourism in the country has been boosted by the event and since it is held in summer, many people have flooded into the country to also have an experience of other Spanish cultures. The tourists have consequently increased revenues, with many businesses reaping heavily. The bull symbol has become synonymous with any Spanish activity and flags with the bull symbol have become unofficial supplement of the Spanish flag. Spectators and football fans have been known to use these flags as witnessed in the FIFA football world cup, 2010 in South Africa, where Spain emerged champions (Porter & Prince, 2010). Giving the people of Spain an identity they can be proud of has also fostered national unity and cohesion. People of all lifestyles attend the festivals and for once, the class society abandoned as the society engages in merry making. From politicians to religious leaders, all unite and share in participating in such a historical event (Gray, 2001). Reference List Gray,G. (2001). Running with the Bulls. New York: Lyons Press. Leimroth, C., & Stevens, F. (1984). Peak Experience at the San Fermin. New York: Caislan Press. McGraw-Hill. (2009). Chase’s Calendar of Events. New Jersey: McGraw-Hill Companies. Inc. Porter, D., & Prince, D. (2010). Frommer’s Spain 2011. California: Frommer’s. Simonis, D. (2009). Spain. New York: Lonely Planet Tuchman, R. (2009). The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live. Dallas: Ben Bella Books. Read More