¡Viva San Fermín!

[Menydh]

Gora San Fermín!

Thousands of Pamplonese pay homage to San Fermín, in the big day of the fiestas.

Diario de Navarra
July 7, 2005

It's one of the most expected moments in the city of Pamplona (Navarre, Spain), in which also participate numerous visitors, and which fills the streets of the city every 7th of July, with a familiar and colourful atmosphere in which the image of San Fermín stands out, carried over the shoulders and accompanied by an official entourage made up by town and Church authorities which, in many occasions, must stop the march to be applauded, and receive songs and homages of the people.

Today's act, accompanied by an unpleasant climate, though without rains, started at 10 am when the town corporation, accompanied by dantzaris (traditional dancers), left the Town Hall and walked to the Cathedral to meet the chapter of the See of Pamplona, from where altogether went to the church of San Lorenzo, to get the image of San Fermín, and escort it together with the 16 clubs of Pamplona. It was then that a procesion through the streets of the old city of Pamplona started, full of a human tide pefectly dressed up in white with red which, emotioned, assisted one more year to the so called "momenticos" (little moments) of this act, like the jotas (traditional songs) which were sung to the saint in the Pocico de San Cernín, where two young people offered two bouquetes of flowers to the Patron of Pamplona.

After the procesion was over, and with the image of San Fermín back to his place, there was a mass in the church of San Lorenzo, presided by the Archbishop of Pamplona and Tudela, who in his speech valued that "today it is a day in which we shorten the distances, in which we all want to feel friends and locals, even if we have different ideas about many things. Today it is easier for us to forgive each other, to respect each other and to love each other".

The Archbishop also did a strong defense of the traditions of the Church and mentioned the "signed events of the last times favour, direct or indirectly, the implantation of a radically lay mentality", in reference to the law with allows in Spain the matrimony among homosexuals.

In this line, he asked to himself what Catholics "can and must do to make of the families of the future, families according to the designs of God, real matrimonies, stable and fertile unions between man and woman, support of a pleasant, just and honest society."

In any case, and after rejecting to "those who attempt to construct a totally lay society, without a place for God, without respect to the laws of the decalogue written by God in the heart of our consciences", the Archbishop encouraged the faithful ones because "the Church has gone through worse moments" of the ones we are living today, and he reminded that "the difficulties will make us more authentic and stronger."

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[Faísca]

I just love when traditional events are supported so much by the population. It is really a boost when one is down regarding the degeneracy we see everyday.

Thumbs up for San Fermín!

[Menydh]

The encierro of the bulls of Domecq Bohórquez, clean and without casualties from the horns

El Diario de Navarra
July 7, 2005

The anti-skid could not avoid that two bulls slipped in the bent of Mercaderes


The race started at 8 am when, after finished the canticles with which the mozos (boys, runners) ask for protection to San Fermín, the herd of bulls abandoned the corrales (pens, yards) of Santo Domingo led by two mansos (tame bulls) and closed by one brave bull.

The contact with the runners, in the first meters of this section, was cleanly taken into effect, although little later the back brave bull which closed the herd leaned towards his left on some occasions, without reaching any of the mozos.

The group stretched as it was heading towards the main square, where it arrived with two black bulls in the head, which guided their brothers along Calle de Mercaderes and until the bend of access to Estafeta, where they slipped and fell on to the ground.

The horn of one of the bulls got hooked in the fences and this retained the beast for a few seconds until one of the runners managed to free him, although with the horn damaged.

This incident broke the herd into two, as the rest of the bulls from Domecq continued with their race along the street of Estafeta, pulled by a manso and offering beautiful runs to the mozos who were in this area.

While this group headed to Telefónica and to the alley of access to the Plaza de Toros (bullring), where some runners touched the back of the animals despite it being prohibited for being risky, the brave bull which had stayed behind followed the trail of his brothers well guided by the mozos and without caring for any of them.

In Telefónica, however, it fell down again although this time it stood up immediately to access to the ring where, with the horn visibly damaged, he was driven to chiqueros (bullring pens, yards).

Two people were taken to hospital with slight injuries

[source]

[Ordo Malleus]

¡Viva!

[Menydh]

Some images from the first encierro.

[Faísca]

More images: San Fermín: Pictures of today's "encierro"

[Ebusitanus]

This morning nobody got injured either...not bad

[Menydh]

The bulls from Cebaga Gago skip the script and perform a fast and clean encierro

El Diario de Navarra
July 8, 2005

The bull race performed by the bulls of the cattle breeders from Cadiz, has lasted little more than two and a half minutes


With the shooting of the announcing flare, the encierro started at 8 am after the herd abandoned the yards grouped and headed by the mansos, although in the first meters, after the contact with the mozos, a bull of light greyish fur overtook the mansos and gave speed to the race.

Even if in this section of the race the bulls looked repeatedly towards both sides, they showed their nobility and the didn't break the formation, heading cleanly to the Town Hall Square until they reached the bend of Mercaderes, where the who was opening way to the herd crashed against the fences after running over two mozos.

Just like in yesterday's encierro, the anti-skid used on the pavement this year as a novelty, did not help and the bulls slipped and fell on the floor of this section, although maybe with less violence than usual.

From that moment the bull herd broke into various groups, leaving spaces between the beasts for the runners to be able to get close to them and show off in front of their horns.

The greyish bull which was heading the herd together with a manso ran over a number of running mozos, while his brothers continued with speed their way to the section of Telefónica where the bulls smashed some runners against the fences, and they crashed against them too in more than one occasion.

When they entered the bullring, one of the bulls fell on the floor. This had no consequences for the encierro since it was accompanied to the bullring yards without further incidences, just like with the rest of the herd.

The bulls heading towards the Town Hall Sq.

[source]

[Menydh]

Images from the second encierro.

[Menydh]

Images of the second encierro.

[Menydh]

Images of the second encierro.

[Ebusitanus]

This morning I heard three guys got caught by the bulls, one in a leg, one in the stomach and a third one in his mouth. Amazing that this does not happen more. Those streets were very crowded.

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Ebusitanus

This morning I heard three guys got caught by the bulls, one in a leg, one in the stomach and a third one in his mouth.

The wounds caused by a bull's horn are more grave due to the necrosis infection inside the wound.

Amazing that this does not happen more. Those streets were very crowded.

According to the news, the race was overcrowded today.

[Menydh]

The bulls of Dolores Aguirre leave three wounded by horns during the third encierro

Diario de Navarra
July 9, 2005


The massification has increased noticeably the danger of the race


The herd departed at 8 am from the yards of Santo Domingo, headed and closed by the cabestros (halters, like mansos), which grouped this way the bulls in the center of the herd.

As soon as the meeting with the runners took place, the first tumbles occrured and, without finishing the first section, one of the bulls of Aguirre slipped and fell to the ground, delaying for a few seconds the march of the herd.

Four of the bulls overtook the mansos, giving the race a higher speed in the section of the Town Hall Square and Mercaderes Street, where another of the bulls and a couple of runners were caught.

For the first time during the encierros of the Sanfermines of this year, the anti-skid seemed to accomplish its mission, and the herd saved the fences of the bent of Mercaderes without slipping and falling to the ground, as it is usual on this spot.

One runner was caught by the front of the head of one of the animals in the Estafeta street, where three bulls headed the encierro while, a few meters from behind, followed by their brothers who were being opened and closed by the cabestros.

Also, at the start of this section, one of the bulls fell down and, next to him, another turned to the right creating moments of danger for the runners, who were trying to protect themselves on the façade of the building.

The pushings, which were repeated during this race, put difficulty on the race which, from that moment, continued fragmented into two groups.

Both groups were carried without problems by the mozos, some of which fell on the floor, being overtaken by the bulls without being reached by their horns.

They arrived in this way to Telefónica and to the alley of the bullring, where the three advanced bulls appeared to be confused and headed towards the protections of the bullring, without caring for the signals of the herders.

They were still on the arena of the ring when the rest of the herd entered the bullring, and one bull of the herd turned his back and caught with his horns the clothes of one runner.

All of them finally entered the yards, thanks to the work of the herders, who saved moments of higher risk.


[source]

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The third encierro leave four wounded by horns; one of them is being intervened in the bullring

Diario de Navarra
July 9, 2005

The mozo operated in the Plaza was caught inside the bullring.


Also, a 24 years old young runner who suffered two horn blows, and whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken to the Hospital de Navarra. The mozo, who was caught in Mercaderes, suffered one horn blow of 10 centimeters in the upper third of the right leg, which affects the subcutaneous cell tissue and the skin, and another horn blow of 10 centimeters in the perianal region, which does not affect the sfincters of the anus. The prognosis is grave. To this hospital was also taken the 38 years old runner Javier Velasco Hernández, from Logroño (Rioja), who suffered from a broken clavicle in Mercaderes, and whose prognosis is less grave. This runner will get the discharge probably today.

Another one, the 26 years old runner Jesús Arbizu Iturgaiz suffered multiple contusions and was taken too to the Hospital de Navarra.
Yet another one, the 46 years old runner Juan Carlos Nabalde Mielgo, arrived to the Hospital Virgen del Caminio with a horn blow in this left leg, occured in the section of the Town Hall Square.

Another horn blow was suffered by the 50 years old French André Lailheugue, who suffered a horn blow of 5 centimeters on the left side of his face, which does not affect the nerves.

The mozo from Burgos (Castille) Javier Marroquín Ruíz, of 31 years of age, was caught by the last of the bulls of Aguirre while in the bullring. As a consequence he suffered a horn blow in his left leg, and is being operated in the bullring of Pamplona. Later he will be taken to the Hospital de Navarra, according to sources from the Foral Government.


[source]

[Menydh]

Images of the third encierro.