Where the Heck are You: Fiesta de San Fermins
¡Bizi gara!(I'm alive!) Prologue: Stepping out from the quiet of the pension I am at Puerta del Sol,the crossroads of Calle Mayor and Calle Arenal, the center of Madrid. From the shade of the entryway I watch the shoulder to shoulder crowds of people scurry about to begin their day. It is nine o’clock and already it is hot! It definitely feels like July. A glance at my watch confirms it is the Fourth of July. But today in Madrid, it is just Wednesday morning. No flags. No fireworks. The passersby are unaware of the visitor’s momentary bewilderment as I reconcile the cultural calendars. But oh my, there is a parade, the parade of people! It may be just another Wednesday in Madrid, but I know there is a fanatic fiesta happening just up the real ..er.. road in Basque Country.
¿Where the Heck are You?Fiesta de San Fermins!
Hopping a night train to Bilbao on Spain’s north Atlantic coast, I awake 400km and a whole ‘nother culture away from the hot high plains of Castilla. I am now in Pais Vasco, which along with Navarra, make up Euskadi, the Basque region of Spain. Yes this is home to ETA (the Basque separatist movement or terrorist group depending on your politics). An area brutally oppressed during Franco’s fascist regime, but also the scenic homeland of one of the oldest and most distinct Iberian cultures, a mysterious language, and truly incredible cuisine.
Bilbao is a bustling industrial city and seaport. It is morea crossroad for travelers than a destination. Often a more convenient, though longer, route between Barcelona and Madrid. It is also the jumping off point for the western Pyrenees, and the coastal gems of San Sebastian in Pais Vasco and Biarritz across the border in the French Basque region. Bilbao is not without its charms. Art, a mix of architecture - Moorish, Baroque, Rococo, and Modern - golden sand beaches, and trying to decipher the Basque language while enjoying their delicious cuisine. To wile away the day until my afternoon bus to Navarra, I visited the new Museo de Guggenheim. Situated on the banks of the river, the flowing polished metal exterior, designed by Frank Gerhy, alludes to Bilbao’s seafaring history by revealing visions of waves, boats, and fish.
The three hour bus ride into Navarra begins by rolling through the lush agricultural area of gentle hills and valleys of Pais Vasco. Just about the time the passengers have been lulled into an afternoon nap we are jarred awake! The 60ft coach wildly careens around the sharp narrow curves carved out of the limestone outcroppings as we climb and then descend the steeps of the southern flank of the Pyrenees mountains. Finally to the relief of many, we are deposited in the heart and soul of the Navarra region, Iruñea, or as you may know it - Pamplona. And we are just in time for Fiesta de San Fermin and the Encierro!
The centuries old celebration of San Fermins, the patron of Iruñea and Navarra, lasts nine days. The fiesta begins on July 6thand continues through the 14th. The festival was revealed to people outside of Euskadi and glamourized through Hemmingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises . Since the 13thcentury the fiesta has been a traditional mid-summer celebration of prosperity in the Navarra region. 800 years later, it is still celebrated with folklore, fairs, food and parades, and of course the infamous Encierro - the running of the bulls!
The encierro begins with the runners and spectators singing the traditional song, "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). Those that survive the encierro are said to have been protected by the saint’s cloak. The fiesta will close with song during a midnight, candlelight vigil the night of July 14th.
The starting line of the encierro is the corrals at the bottom of Avenida Santo Domingo. The course then rises up the hill and threads along the narrow streets of Pamplona for a little over a half mile to Plaza de Toros, the bullring. A firework rocket is launched to signal the runners to prepare for the start of the encierro. It is followed shortly by another rocket as the bulls are released and the mad dash is underway!
Even the fastestrunners cannot out-run a bull for very long,especially on the often rain-slicked cobblestone streets. Runners dive over, under, and through the barricades into the crowds and into doorways to escape the stampede. Some try to run alongside a bull. As the bulls pass, more runners enter the course through designated gates. When the bulls reach the corrida a third rocket is fired, and after all the bulls have been secured in their pens a fourth and final rocket announces the Encierro is finished for that day! The actual running of the bulls is over in just a matter of a few minutes.
With the bulls safely penned until tomorrow, it is now time to enjoy the less dangerous features of Fiesta de San Fermins. The bands march and play through the streets, and the air is filled with cries of, “¡¡Bagarela!! (¡¡So are we!!)” theBasque reply to ¡Bizi gara!(¡We are alive!), while
magnums of Cava (a sparkling Spanish wine) are passed around as the revelry continues. It is time to visit the carnivals and fairs, to eat and drink, and enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Pyrenees and the hospitality of the Basque.
One of the best parts of Fiesta San Fermins is the Basque cuisine! A rich and diverse cuisine of simple and rustic ingredients that has been extremely refined and elevated to an aesthetic grandeur. Traditional entrees are fish, lamb, and wild game, accompanied by a vast array of vegetables, especially asparagus, artichokes, capsicums (peppers) and potatoes. Meals are typically served family-style with heaping platters passed around. The Basque are also found of pintxos , the Basque version of tapas, mezedes, or antipasto. One can easily make a meal at txikiteo , a café/bar. With a jug of local cider or bottle wine and little plates of sausages, pickled beans and artichokes, cured fish, and tortilla - the crustless quiche-like pie of eggs, cheese, and thinly sliced potatoes found in Euskadi. After hitting the fairs and carnival, savoring dinner or nibbling pintxos, the party continues until the wee hours of the morning. There are parties in the bars and cafes, in the plazas, and up and down the street. If you are not in a party, you must not be in Pamplona! We are alive and ¡¡Bagarela!!
Epilogue: Since 1924, thirteen runners have died in the Encierros and thousands have been injured. While news photos and video delight in depicting the annual goring of runners by the bulls, most injuries are cuts and bruises, and participants are most likely to be tripped and trampled by other runners than by el toro. Like many traditional festivals, San Fermins has become something of a drunken frat party. Recent years have seen the rise of additional runs . A PETA protest - Running of the Nudes - with a thousand naked people running in protest of the encierro. And on July 15th, the morning after the fiesta, people who have yet to get enough running, run in front of the city buses along Avenida Santo Domingo in the ... Running of the Buses.
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