The San Fermin festival in Pamploma, Spain ends tomorrow, and I always love the pictures from this event. Before this happens, a disclaimer is in order: I hate bull fighting. It’s probably one of the most stereotypical manly things you can do, but I hate it. I generally don’t enjoy mindless killing of animals for entertainment, hunting included (unless you eat what you kill). It’s a waste of life, and wasting life is not manly.
That said, the running of the bulls portion is always really interesting to me. If you don’t know, part of the festival involves releasing the bulls into the city streets and “convincing” them to run to the stadium where the bullfight is going to take place. Understandably, the bulls are not happy about this, so they chase people and cause all sorts of havoc. What’s interesting is not the fact that the bulls are upset (I would be too), but the photos that come from the event. Here are a few of them from this year that I found particularly awesome:
You can see more photos here. The running of the bulls is the ultimate act in facing your fears. It’s also a pretty ridiculous way to prove up your bravado in a performance in front of other men. Whatever the conclusion, the photos are always pretty cool.
What do you think of the tradition? A valued piece of culture, or an outdated act for bravado? Speak up in the comments below.
