You’ve seen on youtube and heard the horror stories about what can happen if you run with the bulls. Deep down inside of you there is the urge to test your manhood/womanhood against a pack of bulls running at full speed that are not afraid of running through or over you. The second you mention it to your friends and family they call you crazy. But you are not crazy. Rather, you are cultured and have read about running with the bulls in Ernest Hemingway’s famous books: The Sun Also Rises and Death in the Afternoon.
To show how cultured you are and to fully immerse yourself in your language learning experience, you have made the crazy/cultured decision to run! To make sure you don’t end up like 24-year-old Norweigan, Christopher Neiff, below I offer some tips to enjoy las fiestas de San Fermín and send you back to your friends and family more cultured and in one piece.
- Rolled up newspaper – I’m not sure why but it seems like a lot of runners have one so you might as well play the part
- White outfit with red bandanna/pañuelo – it won’t stay white for long
- Courage – some may call it stupidity but if you are like the lion from The Wizard of Oz, el encierro isn’t for you
- Patience – at times the fiesta may seem like anarchy with thousands of party goers going all day and all night.
- Waterproof camera – prepare to be drenched in red wine and water. You will want evidence of the craziness that experienced.
- A good pair of sneakers – trying to get out of the way of a 1300lb/590kg bull wearing Crocs is not a good idea
- Eyes on the back of your head – most likely you will be running with your head turned around to see if a bull’s horn is getting close so seeing where you are actually running would be helpful
- Strong calf muscles – you will find yourself hurdling over fallen runners/bulls and when your survival instinct takes over, you may need to jump over the gates into safety
- 9 lives – on average you need at least 6 to survive this
- A friend with good hands – to make sure you are caught when statue jumping
- Electrolytes – vital when operating on little/no sleep
- Some knowledge of the Spanish language – speaking with the locals makes the experience that much more fun and meaningful and helps to know if they are screaming at you to turn right or left to avoid the horns
- A place to sleep – trying to get at least an hour of sleep in while crammed with other exhausted, smelly, and drunk festival goers in the stairwell of the bus station is not something I would recommend that you experience like I did
- Bota de vino – used to drink wine from and to spray other with said wine
More survival tips for running – Tips on Running with the Bulls at the San Fermin Bull Run in Pamplona
A great website to help you plan your trip and to learn about the festival – http://www.sanfermin.com
Some useful Spanish words and phrases to know for San Fermín
- Encierro – running of the bulls
- Chupinazo – San Fermín opening ceremony
- Herido – injured
- Grave – serious
- Cuerno – horn
- Toro – bull
- Salta! – jump!
- Corre! – run!
- Ten cuidado! – Look out!/be careful
- Sobrevivir – survive
- Date prisa! – hurry up
- Muévete! – move!
- Estoy sangrande de manera abundante – I’m bleeding profusely
- No encuentro a mis amigos – I’ve lost my friends
- Estoy perdido y no quiero dormir en la calle – I’m lost and I don’t want to sleep on the street
- Ayúdame – Help me
- El encierro estuvo de puta madre! – Spain slang for The running of the bulls was awesome!
If being packed in a plaza like sardines for a long time while drinking, being sprayed with wine, punching giant inflated balls doesn’t sound fun to you, then you should avoid the Chupinazo. It’s sounded like a blast to me and I highly recommend it! The video below gives you an idea of what I am talking about and does a good job of showing San Fermín from start to end.
P.S. If you think the Running of the Bulls was canceled for 2012, don’t worry! It’s still on. Sanfermin.com reports that you were the victim of an April Fool’s joke! jaja Una broma de un periódico universitario cancela los encierros de 2012 y confunde a los seguidores americanos de Sanfermin
Will you be running this year? Have you run before and have extra tips on how to survive? Any other recommendations for people to get the most out of San Fermín?
Study Spanish Abroad Café 