Running of the Bulls!

Ei, what are they looking at???






















It's the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain!

The Running of the Bulls (in Spanish, El encierro ) involves running in front of bulls that have been let loose on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets. The most famous running of the bulls is that of the nine-day festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, although they are held in towns and villages across Spain during the fiesta season, usually in the run-up to the corrida, or bull-fight, and in some cities in southern France, most notably Bayonne. Unlike bull fights, which are performed by professionals, anyone may participate in an encierro, and there is never violence towards the bulls — even tail-pulling is frowned upon. Injuries are common, both to the participants who may be gored or trampled, and to the bulls, whose hooves grip poorly on the paved or cobbled street surfaces. Participants are supposed to have a general understanding of how to run in front of a bull so that they do not endanger other participants. The running of the bulls is the single most characteristic event of the Fiesta of San Fermin.

It is the event which has given the Fiesta world-wide fame and which is broadcast around the world during the fiesta in July. It is held at eight o'clock each morning from the 7th to the 14th of July inclusive. It consists largely of young men (although women may also run) who run in front of the bulls to lead them from their pen up and into the bullring. It usually lasts from two to three minutes - although if there are complications due to loose bulls it can last much longer.

The length of the run is some 830 meters (about half a mile) and registration is unnecessary to participate. Merely entering into the run and choosing a street to run in is all that is required. The run began as part of the process of moving bulls from the edge of town to the bullring. During the mid 1800s, runners began to join the herd on their journey.

(Taken from Wikipedia)