Festival Culture & Traditions

The Pobre de Mí Began as a Mock Funeral. Pamplona’s Ayuntamiento Only Adopted It in 1968.

The Pobre de Mí ceremony that closes San Fermín began as a 1920s mock funeral, and Pamplona only adopted it in 1968. The real history

Festival Culture & Traditions

Peña Anaitasuna Began as a Footballers’ Side Project. It Ended Up Redefining the Club That Created It.

Peña Anaitasuna history: born in 1948 from a Pamplona football club, approved by the peñas in 1949, now a declared feminist peña. The full story.

Festival Culture & Traditions

San Fermín’s Music Sounds Ancient and Anonymous. Most of It Has a Named Composer.

San Fermín Festival

Encierro News: July 4, 2026

Encierro news for July 4, 2026: anti-slip on the route, 2,700 officers, a medical post every 50 meters, and RTVE's first multicamera bull run broadcast.

San Fermín Festival

The Red Pañuelo Is Not a Relic of the Saint’s Blood. Pamplona’s Press Archives Date It to 1930.

The panuelo rojo of San Fermin is not ancient. Press archives trace the red neckerchief uniform to 1930 and one working class pena. The real

Festival Culture & Traditions

There Is No Bull in Pamplona’s Toro de Fuego. That Is the Whole Point.

Pamplona's toro de fuego is not a bull. The San Fermin fire bull's real time and route, its 17th century history, and the Basque name

Festival Culture & Traditions

Pamplona’s Gigantes Have Names, and Carrying Them Is a Job Passed Through Families

Pamplona's gigantes at San Fermin aren't just costumes. Meet the named giants, the bearers who carry 64 kilos, and why the city 3D-scanned them.

San Fermín Festival

Encierro Txiki Isn’t One Event. Pamplona Actually Runs Two, on Different Streets.

There are two Encierro Txiki children's bull runs in Pamplona, not one, run on different streets. Here's how to tell them apart.

Festival Culture & Traditions

Pamplona’s Giants Aren’t Spain’s Oldest. The 1276 Date Is Fiction.

Pamplona's gigantes y cabezudos aren't Spain's oldest tradition. The 1276 date comes from a novel. Real, sourced timelines for Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Alicante compared.

Festival Culture & Traditions

Recortes Isn’t a Bullfight, and the Best One Happens Minutes After Pamplona’s Encierro Ends

Recortes isn't a bullfight. It's a Spanish sport with 1930s roots, staged daily in Pamplona's bullring minutes after the encierro.