JAKARTA - Mayor of Pamplona, Navarra Spain Enrique Maya officially announced the suspension of the famous San Fermin Festival for the second time in two years, Monday, April 26.
This official suspension is related to the COVID-19 pandemic, where the transmission of COVID-19 in Navarra is still high, while the vaccination ratio for COVID-19 is low.
"I am so desperate, I am forced to officially postpone the San Fermin Festival in 2021", said Enrique Maya told Reuters.
Last February, Maya refused to cancel the famous festival and insisted the decision was up to him. However, the President of the Navarra Regional Administration Maria Chivite at that time said this festival was impossible to hold.
"An international festival like San Fermin, where millions of people come to Navarra, Spain, would not be possible", said Chivite.
The San Fermin Festival gained international fame from Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rise. Cancellation for the second time in a row is not the first time. This festival was stopped from 1936-1939 during the Spanish Civil War.
14th century
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 pay homage to San Fermin, a senator of 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 July 7-14 each year, this festival begins with the chants of Viva San Fermin from the balcony of the City Hall of Pamplona, followed by a fireworks display or Chupinazo which is attended by hundreds of people from various countries.
The most anticipated agenda in this festival is when six bulls and six bulls are released to run with 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 pants, as well as red cloth wrapped around the neck, waist, and hands.
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 is served in restaurants in the city of Pamplona.
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