PAMPLONA: Thousands celebrated on Wednesday after igniting the traditional “chupinazzo” fireworks to start the San Fermin bull-run festivities in the Spanish city of San Fermin. pamplonaEnding the two-year hiatus due to coronavirus Epidemic,
The rain did little to dampen the atmosphere, as crowds, almost all dressed in white trousers and shirts with red sashes and neckerchiefs, filled the small town hall square for the afternoon event. After the crackers exploded, the fun-lovers continued to sprinkle red wine on each other.
The highlight of the nine-day festival is the morning “enciros”, or bull runs, beginning on Thursday, when thousands of thrill-seekers scramble like crazy to escape six bulls as they traverse the winding, cobblestoned gorges for the city’s bullring. charge by the way. Spectators watch from balconies and wooden barricades erected to complete the course. The rest of each day is for eating, drinking, dancing and cultural entertainment.
The festival was made world famous by Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. It had not been suspended since the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, before the pandemic made it impossible to catch on in 2020 and 2021.
Former football player and coach Juan Carlos Anzu had the honor of launching a small rocket from the balcony of the town hall. Anzu had to retire from coaching in 2018 after suffering from the neurodegenerative disease ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
“This ‘Chupinazzo’ is dedicated to all the health workers and people who helped us during the pandemic, and to all those with ALS. Long live San Fermin,” he shouted to the crowd below in a wheelchair.
Pamplona has a population of about 200,000 balloonists, up from about a million on the peak days of the festival, especially on weekends, which also includes many foreigners. Many visitors never stop partying all night long or falling asleep somewhere outside.
Pamplona Mayor Enrique Maya told Spanish state news agency EFE that although there was a lot of excitement this year, he was a little worried.
“We think people have such a desire to have a good time that it gets out of hand,” he said.
City officials have urged people not to forget that coronavirus infections are on the rise again and encouraged the use of masks. But the majority of runs and sideline parties will make it very difficult to follow this guideline.
Generally the festival is relatively incident-free, with most injuries occurring during the race or due to alcohol-related accidents.
Eight people had died during the last festival in 2019. Sixteen people have died in Bull Run since 1910. The last death was in 2009.
Animal rights protesters have also become a fixture in Pamplona. On the eve of this year’s festival, dozens of activists dressed as dinosaurs and holding “bullfighting prehistoric” signs as they ran bull-run routes to protest what they see as animal cruelty, drew attention from tourists. were urged not to participate.
The bulls used in the runs are killed in bullfights by professional matadors every afternoon in the city ring.
Bullfights are protected under the Spanish Constitution as part of the country’s cultural heritage. The spectacle is still extremely popular, although the movement against it has gained momentum. cite animal rights groups Ministry of Culture Statistics say 90% of Spaniards did not attend any festival events involving oxen in 2014–2015, the issue was surveyed last year.
The San Fermin festival was clouded by a 2016 gang rape that rocked the nation, and city officials are highly sensitive to anything that could be seen as abusing women. Is.
Using the slogan “Pamplona Free of Sexual Aggression”, organizers have launched a campaign this year to provide information and advice to victims or witnesses of abuse as well as the general public at the city center office.
The rape case eventually led to a bill that makes consent a key determinant in sexual assault cases, freeing victims from proving that violence or intimidation was used against them.
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