San Fermín

In chapter fifteen, the characters all go to the fiesta called San Fermín. I had heard about this celebration before and the running of the bulls; however, I thought I would look up some more information about it to see exactly what it was. It is a week long traditional celebration that begins on July 6th and continues until July 14th. It takes place in Pamplona, Spain every year. The celebration originated when Saint Fermin, Pamplona's first bishop, was said to have met his end by being dragged through the streets of Pamplona by bulls. This is the reason for the "running of the bulls" when hundreds of people run down the 825 meter street followed by six bulls and six steers like described on page 164. In addition, this is also the reason bullfighting became part of the tradition. If one would like to know more about this, they can look here or here. I also found out that Hemingway attended this celebration many times.