A Modern "Battle of Bullrun"...

Multitudes in red kerchiefsthe centuries old tradition of 'The Running of the Bulls' through the town of Pamplona honoring its Patron Saint San Fermin, starts early in the morning on July 7th and continues daily till July 14. The culmination of the fiesta (other than the daily 'continuous party' in town) is "Death in the Afternoon". The corrida, or simply Los Toros, is about the only thing that starts ON TIME in proverbial manana land.

How old is the "Running" ?

The first one officially recorded was in 1591. Of course, then it was just a way to get the fighting bulls (usuallyblack color, although reddish Brown hair exist) , escorted by trained 'cabestros'(in the photo these are the brown and white animals), through the town before it woke to the Plaza de Los Toros in time for the bulls (Toros Bravos) to settle down in quiet quarters, and be inspected by Toreros and their peones de confianza (a sort of personal assistant), as well as veterinarians... to draw the combinations the toreros will face that afternoon.

Usually, the smallest bull will be paired with the biggest, the one with the widest horn spread with one whose horns curve in, etc. Then the numbers are written on slips of paper, rolled up, tossed into a hat, and each Torero or his Representative, in order of seniority, draws a rolled paper. Seniority is not necessarily tied to actual age of the Matador, but tied to when he took his official alternativa -preferably in a majpr Plaza such as Madrid, Sevilla or Plaza de Mexico AND confirmed in Madrid.
The media loves to dwell the dangers of this event and to call for its abolition.

I have always felt, if a person of HIS/HER own volition decides on running with the bulls...he/she must accept that it can be dangerous. A bull, separated from the herd, will be agitated and aggressive. The cobble stones are uneven and may be wet, tripping up a runner. Some runners may simply be too old , not nimble enough, and the excitement could be a factor in him/her being too slow.

Since 1924, only 15 people died while running with the bulls.

Amazingly enough, the media does not pillory the dangers of car racing or other extreme sports. I have not researched how many deaths are caused by those, nor how many people are permanently injured (paralyzed or mentally damaged). But that number is a lot higher than deaths caused by running with the bulls, or fighting the bulls.

Below some pictures of a corrida, starting with the 'running' with the large cape (usually by peones) to check on how a bull reacts, some capote thrills used in the 'quites' drawing the bull away from the picador-done in turn by all matadores, placing of the banderillas by peones, sometimes by matador which pleases the fans, some cape work proof of the matadors dominance and finshed with an 'adorno', and at last the citing the bull for the final act with the muleta, smaller red cloth held in one hand, while sword is ready in the other.

The End