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Live! Spain’s bull-running fiesta returns after pandemic hiatus

#Live #Spains #bullrunning #fiesta #returns #pandemic #hiatus

A red-and-white sea of ​​revelers erupted in celebration on Wednesday, dousing each other with wine in a packed Pamplona square as Spain’s most famous bull running festival returned after a two-year absence due to the pandemic.

The launching of a firecracker known as a “chupinazo” at 12 noon (1000 GMT) from the balcony of the northern city’s City Hall marked the official start of the nine-day San Fermin Fiesta and ushered in the mayhem.

Thousands of party-goers from around the world – most dressed in the traditional all-white outfit with a red scarf – reacted in ecstasy, shouting “Viva San Fermin!” and splash each other with wine.

Despite a light rain, the crowd cheered wildly as they waved their red scarves in the air and passed giant yellow inflatable balls overhead while dozens of crowded apartment balconies looked on.

“The rain doesn’t matter. It’s great to see the square full again,” said Saioa Guembe Pena, a 54-year-old official whose white shirt was stained pink with wine.

The annual festival, made famous by Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, was last held in 2019.

Local officials canceled the hugely popular event in 2020 and the following year because of the Covid-19 pandemic – the first time the festival has been canceled since the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

Many revelers started drinking early, sat hours before the “Chupinazo” on the outdoor terraces, or wandered Pamplona’s narrow, cobbled streets with large bottles of sangria.

Dating back to medieval times, the festival features concerts, religious processions, folk dancing and 24-hour drinking.

But the highlight is the daily grueling test of courage against a thundering pack of half-ton pointed-horned bulls.

Every day at 8:00 a.m., hundreds of daredevils with six fighting bulls race a 850-meter distance from a corral to Pamplona’s bullring, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

The bravest – or foolhardy – run as close to the bulls’ horns as possible, preferably without being gored.

The first bull run, which traditionally attracts the most participants, takes place on Thursday.

Dozens of people are injured each year, although most injuries are caused by runners falling or being trampled on by the cops.

The last fatality was in 2009 when a bull impaled a 27-year-old Spaniard in the neck, heart and lungs.

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#Live #Spains #bullrunning #fiesta #returns #pandemic #hiatus

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