San Fermín Festival closes after one week of celebrations at Spanish Centre

The celebration is over and San Fermin left a good taste in Brisbane

The most important festival in Spain and one of the most famous all around the world, the vibrant and colourful festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, has been finished sadly for the locals, for the thousands of guests and visitors and for all the Spanish community, like the Spanish Centre in Brisbane, which also celebrated the San Fermin tradition during this festival.

Since last 6^th of July, with the spectacular and traditional “Txupinazo” where thousands of people  wait to the ceremonial and the launching of the rocket fired to mark the opening of the Festival, and the words with which the Festival starts every year: “Pamploneses, Pamplonesas, Viva San Fermín” to put all together at the same time the red scarf, symbol of Pamplona's celebration, until the sad singing of the “Pobre de mí” that closes the 9 days Festival waiting till the next year.

The Spanish Centre in Brisbane also held an opening party and some more celebrations related with the most international Festival from Spain. Sangría, spanish red wines, tapas, chocolate with “churros”, “txistorra” and Piquillo peppers (traditional food from Pamplona and the region) were served on this days, besides paella and the classic bull stew, traditional in this Festival as called as “Fiesta del Toro”, “The bull's Festival”.

And it's because of the bulls why San Fermín is famous all over the world, especially for the exciting, thrilling, gripping, breathtaking and also really dangerous “Encierros”, the famous “Running of the bulls”, a race with bulls through de old streets of Pamplona every morning which attracts people from many different countries.

One of that countries is specially Australia, from where thousands of youngsters arrive to Pamplona looking for a huge party, and a very exciting and festive ambient. There are a few websites and companies promoting and selling this travel and experiences for Aussies, encouraging to go to San Fermín as one of the best holidays and parties in the world.

Curiously some Australians get injured at that Running of the bulls every year. Is now pretty common to see an Aussie in the final list of gored during the eight races.  A few years ago, even the Australian Government had to advise aussie travellers to Pamplona about that danger.

And this year it happened again. The last Running of the bulls left 2 aussies gored, one of them seriously injured, starring really graphic images with his terrific wound, the most shocking and of the year. At least three Australians were injured in the more than 50 injuries during the nine-day festival that over the years has strangely become almost a rite of passage for young Australians.

The last one, the most seriously injured of them, Jason Gilbert, has it clear “I won’t do it again, the running of the bulls. It’s something that should be left to Spanish people, it’s their tradition and their festival and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone to take part.”

by Santi Ivar

Sources:

spanishatbrisbane.com

new.com.au

Photo:

Worldfestivaldirectory.com