Held Since The 14th Century, The San Fermin Festival Stumbles Upon The COVID-19 Pandemic

Running of The Bulls di Festival San Fermin. (Wikipeda Commons/Asier Solana Bermejo)

JAKARTA - For the first time since the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, the San Fermin Festival, which is usually held in the city of Pamplona, Navarra, Spain, has threatened to be canceled for two consecutive years.

Yes, the festival which has become an international tourism agenda is again in danger of being canceled this year, after last year it was also canceled. The cause? COVID-19. This is as conveyed by local authorities.

"An international festival like San Fermin, where millions of people come to Navarra, will not be possible," said Navarra Regional Administration President Maria Chivite, as reported by Reuters.

However, the Mayor of Pampolona said that no decision had yet been made. The local newspaper Diario de Navarra quoted Mayor of Pamplona Enrique Maya as writing,

"All citizens are aware that, with the available data, it will obviously be difficult to talk about (the festival) as we know it until now, but today is February 2, no decision has been made," he said.

San Fermin Festival. (Wikimedia Commons / San Fermin Pamplona Navara)

Long history

Routinely held every year, the San Fermin Festival, which is held in Pamplona City, is characterized by a herd of bulls chasing hundreds of people on a narrow 850-meter-long road in Pamplona.

Held since the 14th century, the festival is intended to honor San Fermin, a senator from the Roman Empire who converted to Christianity under the guidance of Saint Honestus, who is believed to be the patron of Navarre. This festival became famous after being written by journalist and novelist Ernest Hemingway in the novel 'The Sun Also Rises'.

Routinely held every 7-14 July each year, this festival begins with the shouting of 'Viva San Fermin' from the balcony of the City Hall of Pamplona, followed by a fireworks display or 'Chupinazo' attended by hundreds of people from various countries.

The most anticipated agenda in this festival is when the six bulls and six bulls are released to run with the residents on the 850 meter-long road. The clothes worn by the participants and the witnessing community were also regulated, namely white t-shirts or shirts and trousers, as well as red cloth wrapped around the waist, waist and hands.

Festival atmosphere at night. (Wikimedia Commons / San Fermin Pamplona Navara)

Health teams and security officers were stationed along the track to help injured participants. Interestingly, at night, the bulls that are released in the morning are slaughtered and the meat served in restaurants in the city of Pamplona.

During the week of the San Fermin Festival, the city of Pamplona, which originally only has a population of approximately 220 thousand, will be crowded with more than 1 million people, mostly tourists. Naturally, because during the week the festival lasts, there are various concerts to dancing and drinking parties being held.

Although it is recognized that it provides a lot of foreign exchange for the City of Pamplona and raises the local economy, many parties have called for an end to this festival, because it contains violence against animals. In total there are 125 cities in Spain that oppose the festival by exploiting the Bull.