Pamplona's bull-hunting festival inspires and outrages
Tens of thousands of people celebrate in Spain the beginning of the world-renowned San Fermin Festival. The excitement for the tradition of bullfighting, which results in the annual sacrifice of 20,000 animals, is great - so is the criticism.
Clear the way for the wildest bullfight in the world: In the northern Spanish Pamplona, the famous and controversial San Fermin Festival was opened. In front of tens of thousands of packed and enthusiastic people, the opening rocket "Chupinazo" was fired from the balcony of the town hall. "Viva San Fermin," shouted nearly all the people traditionally dressed in white. The masses sang, danced, and waved red scarves. The first of the eight bull runs takes place on Sunday. The state TV-channel RTVE and others broadcast the opening ceremony live. A tourist from Mexico cried in front of the RTVE cameras without reservation: "I am deeply moved. My father always watched it on TV and dreamed of being here once. He didn't make it. He is not with us anymore. I am here for him now."
Among the fans of the spectacle is the Pamplona-born football star Nico Williams, who on Friday eliminated Germany from the European Championship with the Spanish national team. "I usually celebrate it every year. This time I can't. But if we make it to the final, it's perfectly fine," he told the sports newspaper "AS".
But not everywhere was there a party atmosphere after the opening. The criticism and protests of animal rights activists increase every year. On Friday, PETA and AnimaNaturalis demonstrated against the nine-day festival in Pamplona. They called it "medieval cruelty". They demand an end to the bull runs and all bloody bullfights. Some demonstrators went on Friday in chains, wore horns, and had their faces and hands painted red. This red paint was supposed to symbolize the blood of the approximately 20,000 bulls that are killed every year at various events with centuries-old tradition in Spain.
Protests against "national shame"
In the past few days, there have been several demonstrations where participants carried signs with inscriptions like "Torture is neither art nor culture" and "Animal cruelty is a national shame". "We know that there is a majority in society that rejects this animal cruelty not only in Pamplona, but throughout Spain, and has no interest in maintaining it - let alone with our taxes", said the AnimaNaturalis chairman Aida Gascon.
The anger and protests have been growing for years. Nevertheless, the bloody Fiesta enjoys high popularity in the Navarra region, where it takes place. Last year, a total of 1.5 million participants were counted - a record. This year, hotels reported an average occupancy rate of 90 percent days before the festival, vacation homes were no longer available at normal prices. For the city, it is a million-dollar business.
Visitors come from the most diverse regions of Spain and all over the world, including Germany, Great Britain, France, Australia, Japan, and especially the USA. Pamplona, which today has 200,000 inhabitants, was written about by the US writer Ernest Hemingway in his first major novel "Fiesta".
16 deaths in 100 years
Since the beginning of the festival in 1591, 16 people have lost their lives in the bull runs. The last fatal accident occurred in 2009, when a bull gored a man in the chest. Despite the risks, the tradition continues to attract thousands of participants every year. The bulls are considered a symbol of strength and masculinity, and participating in the runs is seen as a rite of passage for many young men. The festival is also an important economic factor for the city of Pamplona, generating millions of euros in revenue each year.
The so-called Sanfermines are dedicated to the city's patron saint, San Fermin, and have been celebrated in Pamplona since the end of the 16th century every year in early July. There are not only bullfights and bull runs, but also many concerts, processions, and other events for families and children.
The bull run is certainly the highlight of the festivities: Between July 7th and 14th, every morning at 8 am, six bulls, each weighing over 600 kilograms, and several oxen are chased through narrow streets by hundreds of people into the arena, where they are killed in bullfights in the evening. State television and other TV channels broadcast live until the end of the festivities. There are also special broadcasts, with millions across Spain glued to their screens. On site, tens of thousands follow the bull run on balconies, walls, and in side streets from close range. Tourists sometimes pay hundreds of euros for the short-term rental of a small balcony. A lot of red wine and Sangria is consumed.
However, this wild spectacle is not only dangerous for the animals: Every year, there are injured participants in the bull runs, mainly young runners, who cover the 875-meter long course of the bull run. Since 1924, there have been 16 fatalities, the last one being 15 years ago.
In response to the controversial practice during the San Fermin Festival, international animal welfare organizations such as PETA and AnimaNaturalis have voiced their concerns, calling it "medieval cruelty" and demanding an end to the bull runs and all bloody bullfights. Despite the growing criticism and protests, the festivities continue to attract tens of thousands of attendees annually from various parts of Spain and around the world, eager to participate in the traditional International Animal Welfare Festival held in Spain.
