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San Fermín
Seconds before the beginning of the San Fermín Festival in Pamplona (Spain). Town hall Square. Everybody holds his red handkerchief above his head until a firework is exploded at 12 pm; they then put it around the neck
Town Hall of Pamplona seconds before the initiation of the San Fermín festival with the chupinazo
Official name San Fermín
Also called Sanfermín, Sanfermines (plural)
Main location Pamplona (Spain)
Begins 6 of July; 12 PM
Ends 14 of July; 12 AM

The festival of San Fermín is held each year in the city of Pamplona (Navarre, Spain). Other names for the festival are Sanfermines or Sanferminak. It starts at noon on 6 July with the setting off of a rocket. It ends at midnight on 14 July with the singing of the Pobre de Mí. A bullfight is also part of the celebrations. The festival honors Saint Fermin, the co-patron of Navarre. San Fermín has become the most famous Spanish festival. More than 1,000,000 people watch this festival.

The Running of the Bulls is held the 6th - 14th of July every year. By midnight on July 6th Pamplona is already swarming with locals and tourists all waiting for the fireworks display that marks the start of the fiesta.

The day begins with the "encierro" or running of the bulls, when only the brave and foolish dash ahead of the bulls that are let loose to run through the narrow streets to the bullring where they will be fought later in the day. The runners are usually clad in the typical white trousers and shirt, with a red scarf tied at their neck, and a red beret on their head.

Before and after the daily bullfights, held each evening at 6 pm, bands of music, "txistularis", regional dancing and processions with big giant heads roam the streets. The Sanfermines festival of the running of the bulls in Pamplona is not the only one celebrated in Navarre, although it is the most well-known.

Images for kids

  • Prière à San Firmin

    Pamplona Prayer

  • Ayuntamiento-pamplona-sanfermines

    Facade of the City Council of Pamplona decked out for the San Fermín festivities.

  • Escultura sanfermines

    Statues dedicated to Sanfermines festival, in Pamplona

  • Hemingway monument

    Monument to Hemingway outside the bullring in Pamplona.

  • Chupinazo1

    Chupinazo

  • San Fermín en Cuesta de San Domingo

    Hornacina of the saint located on the slope of Santo Domingo, where the young men ask San Fermín for help.

  • Sanfermines Vaquillas Pamplona 05

    Confinement as it passes through the town hall square.

  • Encierro 7 de julio de 2005

    Bulls running on July 7, 2005, Consistorial Square, Pamplona. Image taken by Johnbojaen and uploaded on September 1, 2005.

  • Comparsa pamplona jorge urdanoz

    Pamplona's Giants and Big-heads parade family photo. From back to front and left to right we can see the American, Asian, African and European pairs of giants (last row), the six kilikis and the 5 big-heads (second row), the zaldikos, and members of the parade who carry the figures (front row).

  • Sanfermines-vaquillas

    Pamplona Bullring.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: San Fermín para niños

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