Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 7-12 Subject: Social Studies

Running of the Bulls

Spain's annual San Fermin festival in Pamplona got off to a slippery and dangerous start as several thousand runners braved the world's most famous running of the bulls. The first of eight daily runs begins on the morning of each July 7, when thousands of people join six bulls that run 902 yards from a corral to a bull ring. The animals face near-certain death in the afternoon bullfight.

Several bulls slipped on the wet cobblestone streets and fell, drawing out the run to more than seven minutes, about twice the duration of a clean run. State radio said five people were injured by bull horns, with two of them gored.

The running of the bulls was made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1927 novel Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises. The practice began in 1591 with the need to move the bulls from the countryside to the arena. Daredevils began running in front of the animals in the 1600s. Since 1924, there have been 13 recorded deaths in the eight-day event. Most recently, a young American was gored to death in 1995.

In this week's online lesson we revisit the incredible tradition of the running of the bulls at the Fiestas of San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain.

Pamplona, Spain

Begin this week's lesson with a virtual journey to Pamplona, the capitol city of Navarre, Spain. Browse to Pamplona.net, the official web of Pamplona's Town Council. First click The City and then Pamplona in pictures. View the photo gallery of this beautiful European city. Return to The City and click History to read a brief history of this great city of the ancient Roman empire. Pamplona gets its name from which Roman general? When was the city destroyed and by whom (there are several correct answers). In what year were the three boroughs brought together? Name several of the major battles fought over this city. What challenge did the city face by 1900?

Go back to Pamplona.net and click San Fermin to get to the Fiestas of San Fermin section of the site. Read the introduction, and then click and read History of the fiestas of San Fermin. What is the origin of this fiesta? What three fiestas became the Sanfermines in 1591? What kind of acts or events became part of the festival? How did the fiesta become world famous in the 20th Century?

Go back and click The bull run. Read this overview of this unusual and dangerous event. What is the purpose of the bull run? What time does the run begin? How do the runners know when the bulls have left the corrals? How many people died or were injured by the bulls between 1924 and 1997?

Go back and click Hemingway and the fiestas of San Fermin. Why did Hemingway choose Pamplona as the setting for what became his first successful novel? Name several of the establishments Hemingway frequented on his visits. Did Hemingway ever run in front of the bulls? How did the Pamplona Town Council pay homage to Ernest Hemingway in 1968?

Go back and click Other moments of the fiesta. There are fourteen other events that are part of the Fiestas of San Fermin. Name and describe each one. Which events would you be most interested in attending?

San Fermin

For another look at the festivities of the San Fermin, visit the colorful San Fermin Guide. Visitors planning a trip to Pamplona will find about every piece of information possible, from the exciting Encierro (running with the bulls), to the Corrida (bullfight), to the Procesion (procession of the figure of San Fermin). You can also learn about new traditions, like jumping from the St. Cecilia fountain in hopes that someone will catch you.

Click Gallery to see photos of the festival. Here you will also find a multimedia gallery link with videos of some festival events.

Spanish BullFight

The whole purpose of the Encierro is to move the bulls to the arena for the bullfight. But little has been mentioned of the bullfights themselves that take place every evening during the festival. Read a description of what to expect at a Spanish Bullfight at this page by Nicholas Breakwell. What are the three parts of a bullfight? What is the role of the picadores, the banderilleros, and the matador? How does the bullfight end?

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