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Running of the bulls

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Runners hiding behind the protection of an iron barricade.

The Running of the Bulls (in Basque, entzierro; in Spanish, el encierro - both literally, "the enclosing") is a practice that involves running in front of bulls that have been let loose on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets; roughly 825 yards. The most famous running of the bulls[1] is that of the nine-day festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, although they are held in towns and villages across Spain during the fiesta season, usually in the run-up to the corrida, or bull-fight, and in some cities in southern France, most notably Bayonne. Unlike bull fights, which are performed by professionals, anyone may participate in an encierro. Injuries are common, both to the participants who may be gored or trampled, and to the bulls, whose hooves grip poorly on the paved or cobbled street surfaces.

The origin of this custom is the transport of the bulls from the off-site corrals where they had spent the night to the bullring where they would be killed in the evening. Youngsters would jump among them to show off their bravado. Since 1910, 15 people have been killed in Pamplona, one of the most recent was Matthew Tassio, an American tourist who was gored in 1995.[2] The last person to be killed in the bull run was Fermín Etxeberria Iraneta a 63 year old veteran runner from Pamplona who died in 2003.[citation needed]

Preparation for the event

Prior to the running of the bulls, a set of wooden or iron barricades are erected to direct the bulls along the route and to block off side streets. There may be a double row of barricades along the route to allow runners to quickly exit in case of danger. The gaps in the barricades are wide enough for a person to slip through, but narrow enough to block a bull, though one should still be wary of the bull's horns.

A first rocket is set off to alert the runners that the corral gate is open. The second rockets signals that all six bulls and six steers have been released.

A group of large oxen are released at the end of the run to pick up any stragglers and a run is considered good if the bulls flow swiftly. [citation needed] Whenever a bull gets separated from the herd, it can be dangerous because it will be disoriented and will then often attack anything, or anyone who moves and attracts its attention.

While many think it is good luck to touch a bull, it is against the law and very dangerous because it can distract the bull.[citation needed]

The encierro ends when the last bulls passes through the bullring into the holding pens. Some of the runners who entered with them, and what some call the "chicken runners", those who entered at the sound of the first rocket, remain in the bullring to await the release of the first vaca (a bull cow), which can be as dangerous as a fighting bull as one American found out on the first day in 2006.

Pamplona

Pamplona, 7 July 2005. People climb to the fences as the bull runs by.

The Pamplona[1] encierro is the most popular in Spain and is broadcast live by Televisión Española and Cuatro. It is the highest profile event of the Fiesta of San Fermin.[1] The length of the run is some 800 meters (about half a mile). Merely entering into the run and choosing a street to run in is all that is required.

Before the run, runners sing, "A San Fermín pedimos, por ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro dándonos su bendición" ("We ask San Fermín, as our Patron, to guide us through the Bull Run and give us his blessing"), a prayer to a statue of Saint Fermin to ask his protection. They dress in the traditional white shirt and trousers with a red waistband and neckerchief. In one hand, they hold the day's newspaper rolled to draw the bulls' attention from them if necessary.

Although ideally there would be no contact with the bulls, inexperienced runners often try to touch or hit the bulls as the bulls pass by. This runs the risk of surprising or startling the bulls, and putting lives in danger. Professional herders run behind the bulls to minimize danger and correct misinformed runners. Weekends are most crowded and therefore most dangerous.

The fastest part of the route is up Santo Domingo and across the Town Hall Square, but the bulls often became separated at the entrance to Calle Estafeta as they try to slow down. One or more would slip going into the turn at Estafeta, but with the use of the new anti-slip surfacing, most of the bulls negotiate the turn onto Estafeta and are often ahead of the steers. This has resulted in a quicker, but not safer encierro as the bulls are usually out ahead of the steers as they reach the Callejon.

Other examples

  • The Toro de la Vega — in September at Tordesillas. A bull is carried to an open area by the river. There's a crowd (both on foot and on horseback) which attempt to kill it with lances. Considered as an espectáculo tradicional (traditional entertainment) by the government of Castilla y León.
  • The vaquillas (sokamuturra, "rope-muzzle" in Basque) — A young cow is freed in a small ring (often built for the festival then dismantled) among local youths who tease her. The cow may have a dangling rope to aid recapture. This is also practiced in Pamplona after the traditional running of the bulls.
  • A Mediterranean variation is placed on a dock. When youths are cornered, they jump into the water.
  • Another variation is the nightly toro de fuego ("fire bull"). Balls of flammable material are placed on the horns, frightening the bull. Nowadays the bull is often replaced by a runner carrying a frame on which fireworks are placed. Dodgers run to avoid the sparks. It usually takes place at midnight, providing a pause in the open-air ball (verbena).

Derivations

  • A San Miguel Beer Division advertisement displayed a "Manhattan" version with New Yorkers in the traditional Pamplona clothes running before American bison. In 2006, a proposal to create a "buffalo run" in Deadwood, South Dakota, was denied by the Deadwood City Commission.
  • El encierro de la Villavesa is held the morning after the end of San Fermín. Runners missing their daily course would jokingly run before the first bus of the day ("La Villavesa" is Pamplona's city old bus company name). But nowadays the new bus company has canceled that morning service and a popular movement has begun a new celebration in July 15th morning. Movimiento 15 de julio[3].
  • PETA activists have created the "running of the nudes", a demonstration the day before the beginning of San Fermín. By marching naked, they protest the practice of torturing the bulls for entertainment and the following corrida[4].
  • The Borat film shows a scene in Borat's village with a "Running of the Jew"[5]. A "Jew" wearing a big caricaturized headmask like those of the Spanish festival of Gigantes y cabezudos runs among people dressed almost as Pamplona runners.

In other media

References

  1. ^ a b c Guía de Sanfermin
  2. ^ The last person killed at Pamplona
  3. ^ Movimiento 15 de julio. official site.
  4. ^ Running of the Nudes. PETA official site.
  5. ^ Still shot from the film at IMDB.
  6. ^ Encierro de toros in the Spanish-language Auñamendi Encyclopedia.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Encierros.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bous al carrer.

Listening

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