Posted on 07/06/2007 1:08:33 PM PDT by mgstarr
Thousands of revelers sprayed each other with sparkling wine and the mayor of this northeastern city launched a skyrocket at noon Friday to start Spain's most famous festival, the San Fermin running of the bulls.
"Men and women of Pamplona, viva San Fermin!" Mayor Yolanda Barcina shouted from the city hall balcony. Crowds packed the town hall square, most dressed in the traditional garb of white shirts and trousers, and red handkerchiefs.
Residents threw water on the revelers from balconies to cool them off.
The launch of the skyrocket, known as the "chupinazo," began the nine-day fiesta that was popularized internationally by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises" and centers around the daily running of the bulls.
The first bull run takes place Saturday. The spectacle, repeated each day until July 14, is broadcast live on Spanish television.
The festival, held since 1591, attracts tens of thousands of people. Many had spent the night drinking and partying.
Sara Newey, 23, and Rene Armstrong, 25, from Perth, Australia, recounted everything they had to drink in the last 12 hours: a bottle of Jack Daniels, several bottles of sangria and six beers each.
"You just have to keep going," Newey said, holding a carton of sangria in one hand and a bottle of sparkling wine in the other. They came on a tour with 600 other Australians.
Thuy Trinh, 28, a nondrinker from London, might have been the only sober person among the throngs.
"It's a bit crazy, but I love seeing people enjoying themselves," she said.
In the runs, held at 8 a.m. daily, people test their mettle and stamina by racing with six bulls along a 875-yard route from a corral to the city bullring. The bulls are fought by professional bullfighters each afternoon.
Since records began in 1924, 13 people have been killed in the runs. The last fatality occurred in 1995, when a 22-year-old American was gored to death.
On Thursday, hundreds of members of the U.S.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, staged a near-naked protest march, shouting slogans such as "Torture isn't culture," and "Bulls yes! Bullfighters no!"
Makes me proud to admit that my therapist is running with the bulls. As a matter-of-fact he had to cancel my monthly appointment to attend the festivities. Tee-hee....
Now it's me who is offended! Fighting bulls are beautiful animals, and they are NOT dumb by any stretch of imagination. Of course you have not seen them before being transported to the location for the run/fight. But I assure you they are not dumb.
la bota de vino
go bulls...
# adjective: lacking the power of human speech (Example: "Dumb animals")
... nothing to do with intelligence.
Thanks for the link
(Trying this posting one more time. Don't know what happened there. It previewed ok and then dropped my reply to you which was:)
"That's some leap you've made there. Be careful. Don't hurt yourself. NOT a PETA person in any sense of the word. Just don't like cruelty to animals, especially not for the sheer fun of it. I think it's shameful and says much about the person who likes to inflict pain and terror and then laugh about it."
7 days of runs...
Is that right?
I’m surprised that these guys still have the nerve after the first run (:
Alcohol.
Only way I’d do it too.
“Pamplona bull-running festival starts”
Isn’t it time to put this baby to bed? For Hemmingway, it was the macho ambiance he sought for his novel about strenght and weakness, but for modern day Spain, it is an anachronism. Modern Spain has already shown it’s cowardice in the face of threats. Why bother to re-enact a ritual of courage and risk when it’s theme no longer applies?
That is SO right on target. Throw this baby out with the bathwater!
Now, if you were to suggest that they run with tigers or elephants or something that would present more of a life and death struggle ... can't imagine a pack of tigers running off when 60 guys let them out of a pen in a bunch and throw spears into them ... or elephants either for that matter. Now THAT would show some stones! /s
(As it is, it's more akin to an episode of Jackass)
If you don’t like it, don’t go.
And I’m sure the Basques would be happy to chat with you about courage and cowardice face to face.
Thank you!
Not saying I’d do it, but I’d love to be there for it.
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