Basic San Fermín Festival Guide
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
BASIC SAN FERMÍN FESTIVAL GUIDE 1 INDEX SAN FERMÍN 2016 DOSSIER San Fermín The Chupinazo The Encierro The Bullfights The fiesta on the streets The ‘fiesta’ on the trail of Hemingway Sanfermines on equal terms The image of the fiestas in the media Inclusive Sanfermines Pobre de mí Sanfermines in figures Useful telephone numbers 5 WALKS AROUND PAMPLONA Pamplona, fortified city Pamplona, green city Pamplona, city of the Way of Saint James Pamplona, city of flavours Pamplona, city of culture 10 PROPOSALS FOR DISCOVERING NAVARRA Text, edition and publication: The Pyrenees The Pamplona Town Council and Journey to the centre of a natural paradise the Regional Government of Navarre. Nature and sport Landscapes to enjoy the tarmac Design, illustrations and layout: Birding Navarra: getting to know the birds Artworks Comunicación. MICE tourism Navarra cinema route National Book Catalogue Number: Castle and fortress route DL NA 1298-2016. Among vines and vineyards The witchcraft route SAN FERMÍN 2016 DOSSIER 5 SAN FERMÍN ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SAN FERMÍN FIESTAS FROM 6 TO 14 JULY, PAMPLONA DRESSES UP IN RED AND WHITE TO In the Middle Ages a fair was already CELEBRATE 9 DAYS OF FIESTA DEDICATED TO SAN FERMÍN, WHO HAS BEEN being held on 10 October to celebrate the arrival of San Fermín in Amiens, with THE CO-PATRON SAINT OF NAVARRE ALONG WITH SAN FRANCISCO JAVIER SINCE religious ceremonies to honour the Saint 1657. ACCORDING TO THE LEGEND, THE SAINT WAS BEHEADED, AND FOR THIS and a copious banquet for the poor of the REASON A RED NECKERCHIEF IS WORN AROUND THE NECK DURING THE NINE city. Other events were gradually added to DAYS OF THE FESTIVAL. the fiesta such as comedies, music, troubadours, drummers and dances during the procession. The fiesta we know today started to take shape in the 16th century. In 1591, the City Government, transferred the celebrations to 7th July to avoid the bad weather in autumn, which coincided with a secular trade fair on the same date that On his travels through Aquitaine, attracted a large number of traders and Auvergne, Anjou and Amiens, he worked a buyers, along with organised bull fights. number of miracles: he restored the vision to a blind person, he cured lepers, the In the 20th century, developments in the paralysed and the possessed. The Roman media, transport and tourism began to governor, Sebastián, in an attempt to create a massive influx of people arriving at restore faith in the cults of Jupiter and Pamplona to take part in the fiestas. The Vespers Mercury, ordered Fermín to be imprisoned American writer Ernest Hemingway, winner and finally beheaded with a sword on 25 of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, The vespers sung to honour the Saint are September. In remembrance of his played a major part in popularising the the first religious act of the fiestas. They martyrdom, the people of Pamplona wear fiesta by using it as the setting for his novel are held on the 6th, at 20:00, in the a red neckerchief around their necks ‘The Sun Also Rises’ (‘Fiesta’) in 1924. chapel of San Fermín. The municipal during the fiestas. corporation attends dressed especially dressed for the event: the men in evening The remains of San Fermín rest in the RELIGIOUS dress, gloves and top hat, the women in cathedral of Amiens and veneration of the traditional dresses based on garments WHO IS SAN FERMÍN saint did not reach Pamplona until the EVENTS worn in the valleys of Roncal, Salazar and 12th century. Pilgrims travelling the Way of Aézcoa. Legend has it that Fermín was the son of Saint James from Amiens brought the The people of Pamplona maintain the cult Firmus, a senator of the Roman city of news that a saint from Pamplona was of San Fermín with three large Pompaelo, or present day Pamplona, in worshipped in their city. A number of ceremonies: vespers, the procession and Procession the 3rd century. Firmus entrusted his son’s relics were sent to Pamplona, the most the octava. The procession is the only time education to a Christian priest, Honestus, famous of which were brought by bishop of the year when the image of the Saint is The procession is perhaps one of the who converted the entire family to Pedro de París and which are still carried in the streets and locals pay longest standing traditions of the Christianity. Fermín then went to France to conserved in the Cathedral of Pamplona special homage to the image at the stops Sanfermines, as its origins date back to convert the Gauls and at the age of 24 and in the image of the Saint of the it makes along the route. the 12th century, when Pedro de París, was consecrated as a bishop in Toulouse. church of San Lorenzo. also known as Pedro de Artaxona, was 6 7 SAN FERMÍN Route: the streets of: San Lorenzo Calceteros Rincón de la Aduana Plaza Consistorial San Antón San Saturnino Zapatería 8 Mayor bishop of the city. The mayor and city holds the mass, after which the City councillors, dressed in the same manner as Corporation accompanies the Chapter for the vespers, leave the Town Hall and go once again to the cathedral. There the to the Cathedral to meet with the Chapter, gigantes dance in the atrium of the who are responsible for presiding over the Cathedral to the sound of flutes and procession of the Saint. Together they go to bagpipes, while church bells, bugles and the church of San Lorenzo to take the La Pamplonesa municipal band play. The image of San Fermín and commence the second largest bell in Spain (the “Maria”, procession through the streets for weighing 12,000 kilos and made in approximately an hour and a half. 1584) is a notable feature of this performance. The Corporation then returns They are accompanied by the wood and to the City Hall to the song ‘Asombro de papier mache figures of the Gigantes y Damasco’ y and the dancers make their Cabezudos, clarinettists, wardens, farewell with one final dance in the Plaza txistularis, dantzaris, timbaleros, Consistorial. representatives of historical guilds, the Hermandad de la Pasión and the Octava Congregación Mariana. The procession ends with a performance by the La This mass in honour of the Saint, held on Pamplonesa municipal band. The most the 14th at 10:45 h. in the chapel of San moving aspect of the procession are the Fermín, has been celebrated since 1689 pauses made along the route. These are and is the last religious act of the official called the ‘momenticos’, stops when the festival programme. The Corporation goes opportunity is taken to pay special homage to the chapel, accompanied by the to the saint. Gigantes y Cabezudos, the municipal guard and La Pamplonesa municipal After the return of the procession to the band. After the mass they return to the church of San Lorenzo, the archbishop City Hall. 8 9 THE CHUPINAZO Caballer fireworks company, which makes His merits include being member number the rocket. The people below, while they 1 of the local social club, Los de Bronce wait, chant ‘San Fermín!, San Fermín!, (since 1950) and being president of the ¡San Fermín!’, and raise their red club in the 70s. He was also the one to THE CHUPINAZO neckerchiefs on high, which they then tie start the song to San Fermín every to their necks when the fiesta commences. morning before the bullfight. On 10 July of a year that he still keeps a secret, with THE FIESTAS OF SAN FERMÍN START ON 6 JULY AT 12 NOON WITH THE CHUPINAZO, Buglers announce the moment and after bulls from Villamarta, along with another A ROCKET ANNOUNCING THE START OF FESTIVITIES LAUNCHED FROM THE MAIN the traditional bilingual greeting in Spanish local friend, he kneeled before the corrals, and Basque, and with some variations not in front of the niche, which did not BALCONY OF THE CITY HALL. MORE THAN 12,500 PEOPLE PACK INTO 2,502 SQUARE according to the person launching the exist then, and began to sing ‘a San METRES TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT. WITH THE CHUPINAZO THE FESTIVITIES rocket, the elected individual proclaims the Fermín pedimos’. COMMENCE AND LOCALS PUT ON THE RED NECKERCHIEF. traditional: ‘Pamploneses, pamplonesas. ¡Viva San Fermín! ¡Gora San Fermín!’ At 85 years of age, ‘El Tuli’ actively (“men of Pamplona, women of Pamplona, participates in El Bronce throughout the long live San Fermin, long live San year with the same enthusiasm as he did THE HISTORY BEHIND the chupinazo was given to someone Fermin!”). on the first day, helping one and all to appointed by the city mayor and the generate the spirit of the fiestas of San THE CHUPINAZO person usually selected was a town The opening event of the fiestas can also Fermin without putting his own personal councillor or representative of an be followed from areas nearby the plaza pleasure as a member of the association The chupinazo is the rocket launched to organisation recognised by the city. and, with less of a crush, from other parts to one side. He represents a generation announce the fiestas, which sets off 204 of the city via giant screens placed by the that popularised the fiestas with simplicity hours of uninterrupted festivities, from 6 The chupinazo is a relatively recent event. City Government in Paseo Sarasate, Plaza and creativity during a hard and difficult July at 12 noon to 14 July at 12 midnight. The first was launched in 1941 after a de los Fueros and Parque de Antoniutti.