Pamplona, Spain, is an ancient city founded in 75 BC Originally named Pompeiopolis, after the great general Pompey, it is the capital of the province of Navarre in northeastern Spain. The Visigoths, Franks, and Moors invaded the city often when it was the capital of the Basque kingdom of Pamplona, later the Kingdom of Navarre.
Today it is popular for the "el encierro" or "running of the bulls." Tourists from all over the world come here to see this famous tradition, held during the festival of San Fermin in Pamplona. St. Fermin was Pamplona's first bishop.
In this very colorful festival, bulls and people race through the streets to the bullring, where amateur bullfights take place. The festival begins on the 6th of July, and the running of bulls takes place every morning between the 7th and the 14th of July. At 7.30 in the morning, runners enter the area and take part in what is considered the ultimate act in machismo.
It starts with the men and boys singing before the niche of the saint, asking for guidance and blessings. The actual running is fast and ferocious going through parts of the street that have been cordoned off. The entire stretch is around 825 meters.
The words "encierro" means surroundings and the bulls are literally enclosed in an area and chased. The first rocket announces the opening of the gates of the holding pens where the bulls are held. The second rocket indicates that the bulls have left and are on their way. They are then driven through the narrow streets. Hundreds of men and boys try to move out of the way skillfully, and then try to lead these mighty creatures to the ring.
This contest between bull and man is a supposedly to be a display of bravery and dexterity. However with the crowds getting bigger and bigger each year, people find it difficult to dodge and simply pile on to the bull and bring the creature down.
The longest part of the route is at Calle Estafeta, which leads to a narrows stretched call Calle Duque de Ahumada, also known as the Telefónica stretch. This leads to the Bull Ring. A third rocket goes up to indicate that the bulls are in their pens and that the Bull Run is over. All this happens in a period of three dangerous minutes.
There are a large number of guards and first-aid assistants, but people are still gored and injured. There are many rules governing the Bull Run. Boys below the age of 18 are not allowed to enter. Breaking the barrier, placing oneself in the wrong place, not heeding the instructions of the guards, drunkness or being under the influence of drugs, taking photographs from hidden places, wearing wrong clothes are just some of things forbidden.
On the day of the running of the bulls, there are over 2.5 million people in the city. The population of the city is usually just 100,000, indicating the huge popularity of "el encierro".