Every year from 6 to 14 July in the Spanish city of Pamplona, an unusual and spectacular festival of San Fermin takes place. This festival is dedicated to the Bishop of Pamplona Saint Fermin, who saved the city from the plague in the 16th century. Initially, the holiday was religious, but later it turned into a favorite folk festival, attracting numerous tourists to Pamplona.
The holiday begins in the early morning of July 6. On this day, locals dress up in national Basque costumes and go out to the main square, located in front of the municipality. At noon, a special flare shot announces that the celebration has officially begun. The festival is accompanied by concerts, performances of musical ensembles, performances, fireworks, a parade of masks, a huge number of delicious dishes and alcohol.
On July 7, a procession with the statue of San Fermin takes place through the city, which ends with a religious mass. Also on the days of the holiday, a fair is held where you can have fun, buy souvenirs, enjoy a variety of Spanish dishes and a variety of drinks. Every evening the sky is bursting with fireworks.
But the highlight of the holiday is the races of the bulls called the encierro. This word means "locked." At 8 a.m., the gates of the corrals open, and angry bulls break out of them to run through the fenced streets leading to the arena, where bullfighting with professional bullfighters will take place in the evening. But the bulls are not running alone, daredevils from among the locals and tourists are running in front of them. In doing this test of courage and fitness, desperate men, and sometimes women, often fall under the hooves of bulls or end up on their horns. But adrenaline in the blood does not stop daredevils from a risky race.
Those who did not dare to run, watch the heartbreaking action from the rooftops, from kiosks, porch canopies and even lampposts. By the way, locals sell seats on balconies in advance and for a lot of money.
The bulls that have reached the arena are driven into stalls in order to go out to fight again in the evening, but not with amateurs, but with professionals. The bullfight lasts several hours, and the festivities do not stop all night, so that in the morning you can go back to the extreme race.
