Uno de Enero,
dos de Febrero,
tres de Marzo,
cuatro de Abril,
cinco de Mayo,
seis de Junio,
siete de Julio San Fermin.
A Pamplona hemos de ir,
con una media,
con una media,
a Pamplona hemos de ir
con una media y un calcetín
dos de Febrero,
tres de Marzo,
cuatro de Abril,
cinco de Mayo,
seis de Junio,
siete de Julio San Fermin.
A Pamplona hemos de ir,
con una media,
con una media,
a Pamplona hemos de ir
con una media y un calcetín
My very first day in Pamplona was also the very first day of San Fermines(July 7). San Fermines is the patron saint of Pamplona, which is a little town located almost in Basque Country. I'll talk more about him on my third day post, when I actually went to some of the churches and saw his figure. He'll also keep appearing throughout the posts, since this is a festival to celebrate him!
The very first thing we did was go out and buy food. K and I went to a grocery store very close to the piso or flat. R was nice enough to allow us to stay there with his four rommates. With the other people that they had invited/were being paid to stay there, we were 13 in a four bedroom apartment. Two of the guys who were contracted to stay also brought two guests, who I personally got a very bad vibe from. They also didn't TELL anyone they were bringing them. One of them tried to take K's couch, which is a story in and of itself. I stayed with R and A, since I was the most comfortable with them and K and C stayed in the living room. Because everything closes for the first weekend of San Fermines, we stocked up on food and wine. Basically, jamon(Spanish ham) and bread to make sandwiches and then spaghetti and tomato sauce for dinner plus a couple bottles of water. We bought five bottles of wine and 2 liters of coke.
The common drink for San Fermines is Sangria, but also another drink that is usually only found at this time. It's a mixture of coke and red wine, called kalimotxo. It sounds gross, but it was actually really good. So we mixed that. This was all before 10 am in the morning.
For San Fermines, the very first thing that happens is the Chupinazo, or rocket in the city square. It happens at 12:00 pm and marks the start of the festival. Everyone got in their white clothing and red sash, but not the pañuelo or scarf. It's imporant to note: EVERYONE dresses up. People had their kids dressed up, their infants, even their dogs. So people who don't look really out of place.
The pañuelo must not be put on until after the rocket has been fired. This is a symbol of San Fermines. He was supposed to have been beheaded by having a rope tied around his neck and dragged by running bulls. The pañuelo symbolizes this act and the blood that came from his neck. We can't put it on until noon because that was when he was supposed to have been killed.
The pañuelo must not be put on until after the rocket has been fired. This is a symbol of San Fermines. He was supposed to have been beheaded by having a rope tied around his neck and dragged by running bulls. The pañuelo symbolizes this act and the blood that came from his neck. We can't put it on until noon because that was when he was supposed to have been killed.
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| On our way to the rocket...everyone is dressed appropriately! |
We actually bought our sash and pañuelo on our way to meet some of R's friends. Everyone was out and about, it seemed like half the world was there! R informed us that normally the population of Pamplona is about 200,000 people but during San Fermines, it shoots up to 1 million. Pamplona isn't actually all that big, it only took us about 10 minutes to walk to where we needed to be. We didn't get all the way up to the rocket, but we got very close, in one of the side streets.
And it was INSANE. People were squashed together, singing, laughing, drinking and of course, throwing sangria. This only happens on the first day, people will take their kalimotxo or sangria and throw it at each other. It's all in good fun, but we learned very quickly it burns when it gets your eyes. From the balconies people were throwing buckets of water as well. One old lady was scolding people doing it, but nobody really paid her much attention. Someone was also throwing cooked shrimp off a balcony, which I didn't get a piece of, but it looked good. At one point, my contact fell out, and I had to put it back in. K was talking to a guy and when he walked away, he just tipped his bottle and dumped sangria on her head. Some people were also throwing ketchup, mustard, and raw eggs, which I'm glad to say I didn't do or get any on me.
Unfortunately, we got separated from R, who went to find his friends. In what maybe wasn't such a good idea, we went to find him after a while. We never found him, but A still knew how to get back to the flat, so K and I stayed pretty close him. But what we weren't prepared for was the surge right before the rocket went off.
It was like a moving mosh pit. At first it was fun, because a horde of Basque independence people rant through, but then it got crazy. A disappeared and K and I were swept up in the crowd. K grabbed my hand but we got separated so fast I had to let go or risk one of us losing an arm. My feet didn't touch the ground and my arms were pinned to my side. And down the street we went. It was terrifying at the time, but a good experience. Eventually, the crowd thinned a little and I found K. by this time, the rocket had gone off and people began to hold their pañuelos up and sing. This time, it wasn't the standard "Ole!" song. I wasn't sure what we were singing, but it was very fun and once we were done, we tied our pañuelo on. People were popping champagne and it was spraying everywhere. By the time I got home, I was covered in sangria and champagne.
After this, we went home for a much needed nap. You would be surprised how exhausting that experience was!
And it was INSANE. People were squashed together, singing, laughing, drinking and of course, throwing sangria. This only happens on the first day, people will take their kalimotxo or sangria and throw it at each other. It's all in good fun, but we learned very quickly it burns when it gets your eyes. From the balconies people were throwing buckets of water as well. One old lady was scolding people doing it, but nobody really paid her much attention. Someone was also throwing cooked shrimp off a balcony, which I didn't get a piece of, but it looked good. At one point, my contact fell out, and I had to put it back in. K was talking to a guy and when he walked away, he just tipped his bottle and dumped sangria on her head. Some people were also throwing ketchup, mustard, and raw eggs, which I'm glad to say I didn't do or get any on me.
Unfortunately, we got separated from R, who went to find his friends. In what maybe wasn't such a good idea, we went to find him after a while. We never found him, but A still knew how to get back to the flat, so K and I stayed pretty close him. But what we weren't prepared for was the surge right before the rocket went off.
It was like a moving mosh pit. At first it was fun, because a horde of Basque independence people rant through, but then it got crazy. A disappeared and K and I were swept up in the crowd. K grabbed my hand but we got separated so fast I had to let go or risk one of us losing an arm. My feet didn't touch the ground and my arms were pinned to my side. And down the street we went. It was terrifying at the time, but a good experience. Eventually, the crowd thinned a little and I found K. by this time, the rocket had gone off and people began to hold their pañuelos up and sing. This time, it wasn't the standard "Ole!" song. I wasn't sure what we were singing, but it was very fun and once we were done, we tied our pañuelo on. People were popping champagne and it was spraying everywhere. By the time I got home, I was covered in sangria and champagne.
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| Post rocket launching |
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