Page 135 - YGARTUA: Magnum Opus - volume two

Here I am depicting the excitement, the

color, the blood, the aggression of the bulls

in the fantasy of the chase.

My name is Ygartua, Basque, and the bull was foreigners who think they can run faster than

an important part of my upbringing when a bull. It is not just running faster, it is for

living in the Basque Country. Everybody one kilometer that you have to keep up the

talks about Pamplona and the Running of the same speed and the locals train all their life

Bulls, it is historical, the San Fermin Festival for these run, only professionals know how

that takes place yearly. One must go even if to do it. My adventure back in 1961 led me

it is a once in a lifetime trip. to believe that unless you are an expert with

knowledge of how to run with the bulls then

One summer in the Basque Country 1961, best to stay on the other side of the boarded

one of my friends from Gorliz asked me if I streets- and as we did-be a spectator.

would like to go to St. Fermin Festival, it was

only two hours from Gorliz, so I hopped on The festival of San Fermín is a weeklong,

the back of his motorcycle and we left for the historically rooted celebration held annually

weekend. in the city of Pamplona, Navarre, in northern

Spain.

All fiestas are celebrated the same way, a The celebrations start at noon on July 6 and

lot of drinking, eating, socializing, etc.. We continue until midnight on July 14. A firework

soon figured out that drinking all night is starts off the celebrations and the popular song

when accidents happen. It is usually only the “Pobre de mí “is sung at the end of celebrations.

131