The SAN Fermin Bull Running Festival is not only a very representative festival in Spain, but also a very controversial festival. The thrilling man-cow race takes place every July, with some calling it "the game of the brave" and others describing it as "hurtful".
St. Fermin's Day, also known as the Running of the Bulls. It is a traditional celebration in the Spanish city of Pamplona, the capital of the autonomous region of Navarra, made famous by Ernest Hemingway's book The Sun Also Rises about the running of the bulls.
The festival of SAN Fermin takes place between July 6 and July 14.
In the days of the festival, every day there are six fierce bulls chasing hundreds of strong men, along the "bull running road" through the city, straight to the bull ring, the scene is extremely thrilling.
In the 16th century, some bystanders, on a whim, dared to run in front of the bull, provoking it to rush into the ring.
Later, this custom evolved into the Running of the Bulls Festival. Activities include lectures, concerts, competitions and bullfights. Later, fireworks and dancing were added. Tourists from all over the world are drawn to Pamplona to join in the celebrations.
The first day of the festival kicked off with the launch of rocket launchers from City Hall Square. In the following 7 consecutive days and nights, the celebration activities include music, art, open-air dance, etc. Young people always enjoy themselves all night long, and participate in the activities of the bull running Festival with interest during the day to enjoy the exciting feeling of being chased by the bull.
After that, several huge balloons will be raised in the square, and citizens and tourists throughout the city will open large quantities of champagne and spray each other.
Before that, the crowd in the square began throwing eggs at each other to celebrate in advance.
People from all over the world wear white pants and red belts to show their willingness to participate.
On the day the bull run begins, people wear white clothes, red SAN Fermin scarves and red belts, and carry rolled-up newspapers in their hands in order to drive the cattle away as they approach.
Every year on July 6 at noon is the beginning of the SAN Fermin Festival, to 8 o 'clock sharp, an old man will light a firecracker as the start of the activity.
Before the event begins, people need to pray to SAN Fermin, asking him to protect them during the running of the bulls.
Next, first out of the barn are the six wild cows that will appear in the afternoon bullfight. People and cows will run along the 820-meter-long bluestone street that leads to the bullring.
These cows are very fierce, some of the horns are sharpened, and even the nerves are exposed, and it hurts to touch them, and some of the cows' eyes are rubbed with pepper to provoke it and trigger its wildness.
Along the way there were crowds of spectators and deafening cheers. Many of the brave, especially those curious outlaws, tried to approach the cow and tease it, and some were stabbed, and some were even trampled to death.
They can run up to 24 kilometers per hour (6.6 meters per second), so the run is over in about 3 to 4 minutes.
Then two batches of less strong cattle will be released, the first batch of 11 cows and the second batch of three cows will be released two minutes later.
There are partitions on both sides of the street for protection throughout the journey, and bull runners can also hide behind the partitions for protection.
When the bulls arrive at the bullring, a cannon is set off to announce the end of the bull run, during which there are injuries and even deaths every year.
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