Source: CNN.com
The Running of the Bulls is a very famous Spanish event that involves people running in front of a small group of bulls in a designated area of the town and outrunning them to a place of safety before the bull rams them.
The origin of this event comes from villages and areas in the 14th century who breed bulls and bring bulls to cities where bullfighting takes place, as well as cattle in general. To make the transporting of the bulls faster and more exciting at the same time, the young people would excite or scare the bulls while running in front of them as they show off their bravery and fitness to one another before tricking the bull or cattle into the pens at their destination without getting hurt.
Before long, this little competition of bravery gained popularity in Spain, and was eventually made into tradition that has been upheld to this day.
Source: toiletovhell.com
Back in present day, The Running of the Bulls is held in many towns and villages across Spain and Portugal, in some cities in Mexico and in the Occitan region of southern France. The most famous Running of the Bulls is held in the city of Pamplona, Spain where it has become an international even that people from all around the world come to see or participate in.
In Pamplona, The Running of the Bull is held during the San Fermín Festival, which is held every year from 6th to the 14thof July. The bull running starts on 7th July and continues on every morning of the festival until the end. To participate, you have to be at least 18 years old, you have to run in the same direction as the bulls, not incite the bulls and to not have consumed alcohol prior to running.
Fences are set to direct the bulls and the runners along the designated route to avoid stray bulls from hurting the bystanders, as well as to help the runners to escape from the bulls should they need rest. There are usually two layers of fence that has been erected, with the bystanders standing behind the second layer and Security and Medical personnel standing by on the first layer in case the runners get injured.
Source: NBC News
If you decide that you want to attend the event, you shouldn’t forget that The Running of the Bulls is very obviously a dangerous event to participate in. There have been cases where people were gored (rammed by the horns of a bull), with some not making it out alive through the ordeal. In Pamplona, there are 200 medical personnel present overall as well as 16 sanitary posts every 50 meters of the run. Each sanitary post will at least have one physician and a nurse among their personnel. There are also around 20 ambulances present in case of emergencies. These precautions make it possible for anyone who have been gored to be stabilized and taken to a hospital in less than 10 minutes.
Other risks include being piled on at the entrance of the bull ring where the bulls are being led to by runners. The entrance itself is usually much narrower than the previous street and can be blocked by runners completely as they fall and pile up in this narrow entrance. There has been one such case of a person suffocating to death from the sheer number of people on top of that person when the entrance was piled on.
Despite the obvious dangers, this event still remains to be one of the most famous and iconic events of Spain, as men and women prove their bravery by taking part in getting chased down by dangerous bulls. Are you one such person who wishes to prove your bravery?
Written by: Edwin Soewono – Student of Hotel and Tourism Business 2015
