Why do Pamplonenses Celebrate San Fermin?

Pamplonenses celebrate San Fermines in honor of San Fermín, a Christian missionary, co-founder of Navarra. He was decapitated at the age fo 31 when he refused to stop spreading the word of God.

Originally, the celebration was a simple religious act, but with time, the party became bigger and bigger. In fact, the people who visit Pamplona between July 6 and July 14, make more emphasis on the party than the veneration of the Saint. I even doubt if most of these visitors know what the celebration represents. The celebration starts July 6 at midday with el Txupinazo (Chupinazo), a toss accompanied with the launching of a flare followed with a scream: “¡Viva San Fermín!” Although 2006 was a little different because the city’s mayor, Javier Esbuki, broke the tradition by screaming “¡Viva las fiestas de San Fermín!” because he is agnostic, lighting up a great controversy.

But the controversy did not affect the party, which continued in every corner of the city. It is sad the media don’t cover this impressive side of the celebration, and they only cover the encierro itself.

During San Fermines, Pamplona’s populations is multiplied by four, and people taint the streets with white and red, as they parade down the street with their San Fermin costumes: white clothes adorned with red belts and red handkerchiefs.

While the celebration lasts people befriend strangers, cultural and ideological differences disappear y and it is impossible to distinguish a person from the next because they all look alike. People don’t stop dancing and singing on the streets, and Pamplona transforms itself in the scenery of an open and never-ending party.

The city doesn’t sleep, but the visitors do, and they spread their sleeping bags in any patch of free grass they can find in plazas, street dividers of the main streets… They lay down to rest so they can continue the party later.

Pamplona Does not only Dress Up for San Fermines

Outside of Spain, Pamplona only makes news in July, when Panplonenses wear their festive white clothes adorned with red scarves and hankerchiefs to give a toss during el chupinazo and run in the encierro of San Fermines.

Nevertheless, to my surprise, when I arrived at Pamplona in September, The city welcomed me with a party!

Bored, newly arrived to the city, and with nothing to do, I decided to go for a walk to get to know my new “home”, and found tons of people out in the streets. At the beginning, I was surprised. But then I rationalized that locals probably used Sundays afternoons to walk around town as a family.

However, it did not take long for me to discover I was mistaken.






Kids, grandparents and entire families ran along the streets trying to avoid the blows of rubber cachirorras given by men dressed in horse suits.

In the piazzas, dancers jumped and turned with handkerchiefs and baskets showcasing the traditional dances as they were cheered on by the spectator’s enthusiastic claps.

Along the streets, people’s voices were sporadically replaced by the tunes of the charanga’s(photo 3) clarinets and drums that announced the parade of “Gigantes y Cabezones” (photo 4), people dressed with giant paper mache heads that represented different public figures.

It was definitely not a normal weekend.

Pamplonenses’ were celebrating the “Small Parties”, a reduced version of San Fermines that allows locals to maintain the tradition and enjoy the celebration without the tourists, even though at this event the emblematic bulls are absent.
Even though Pamplona only makes news in July, its locals know how to have fun all year round.

For more information about Pamplona, Spain, and San Fermines, visit Pamplona’s official website.