c l ase Fecha: 9/13/21

En

Título: Los San Fermines

Objetivo: To learn about the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain
The skill we are developing today is Analysis: Accurately recall facts and definitions
Para empezar:
This a Spanish Fighting Bull. They weigh between 500 and
700 kg (the weight of 8 fully grown men).
They are very strong and aggressive. Their horns are longer than those
of any other type of bull. They are very muscular and strongly
territorial.
Can you imagine releasing a good number of these bulls in a
crowded street. Madness? Well, that happens in Pamplona,
northern Spain from 6 to 14 July.
Each day there are processions with giants and big-heads - gigantes y cabezudos.
They form an imaginary royal court called la Comparsa.
There are eight giants - four pairs of a king and a queen. They reach around four
metres in height. The giants that are used each year were made in 1860! They are
constructed from plaster and wood. They are operated and carried by a person who is
hidden underneath.
There are five big-heads - cabezudos.  These costumes are worn like massive head-
shaped helmets.  The ones currently used were made in 1890. Los cabezudos walk in
front of the royal giants and they shake hands with the children in the crowd.
Their names are:  el Alcalde - the Mayor, el Concejal - the Councillor, la Abuela - the
Grandmother,  el Japonés - the Japonese man  and la Japonesa - the Japanese woman.
 There are six fun characters called kilikis. (Above). They
chase children in the crowd! They each have a name: Barbas
(beard), Patata (potato), Verrugón (big wart), Coletas (pigtail),
Caravinagre (vinegar face) and Napoleón.

There are six characters called zaldikos. This word means 'little
horses' in the euskera language of northern Spain. They are
dressed in a costume that is half man - half horse. This makes
them look like they are riding on horseback.
The running of the bulls have been taking place in Pamplona in
Spain for nearly one hundred years.
The running of the bulls (In Spanish “encierro”) involves hundreds of people
running in front of the bulls down a half a mile stretch of narrow streets of a
section of the old town of Pamplona. You have to be at least 18 and physically
fit to be able to participate.
The event begins at 8 a.m.
when a first firecracker (el
chupinazo) is lit to
announce the release of the
bulls from their corral.
Before it used to start at 6
o’clock in the morning.
Runners gather earlier at
the beginning of the
itinerary.
The 875 metre route that the bulls are forced to follow leads them to Pamplona's bullring taking a mean time of around 3
minutes where the bulls would be held until the afternoons bullfight when they would be killed. Bull runs are held
between the 7th and the 14th of July
 Some facts
• The event is dangerous. Since 1925, 15 people
have been killed during the event –– most recently
on 10 July 2009 -- and every year between 200
and 300 people are injured during the run
although most injuries are contusions due to falls
and are not serious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sar6FiqUxts
 Un pañuelo
Una boina

Un periódico
Un fajín

Unos pantalones
Una camiseta

Unas
zapatillasde
deporte

Describe one of the runners

• El corredor lleva…(the runner wears…)

• e.g. El corredor lleva un pañuelo rojo.

• Extra challenge:
add as much detail as possible.

• e.g. El corredor lleva un periódico, pero no lleva boina.

A
1. also = también Respuestas
2. and = y
3. what’s more = además
4. but = pero
 C
 B
1. in north-east Spain
5. hay un barrio antiguo = there is an old area
2. an old area where you can visit the cathedral, a pretty
6. una plaza bonita = a pretty square square and museums
7. muchas tiendas = many shops 3. universities, parks, many shops and restaurants
8. durante la fiesta hay… = during the festival 4. the festival of San Fermín
there is…
5. July
9. hay fuegos artificiales = there are fireworks
6. music, dancing and fireworks at night
10. corren con = they run with
7. people from Pamplona running with bulls through the
11. llevan pantalones blancos = they wear white streets at 8 in the morning
trousers
8. exciting, but very dangerous
9. white trousers/skirt with a white shirt and a red neck
scarf
10. go out with friends, eat tapas, listen to music in the
street and dance
 Debate: Should bullfighting be banned?
 The festivals are seen by many as an important
part of Spain’s tradition and history. Rather
than a sport, bullfighting is seen as an art form
and a cultural event, like a play or an opera.
 Those who support the sport talk of the skill
and agility that is displayed by those involved,
especially the matadors.
 Bullfighting is an established part of Spanish
culture and supporters say that others should
try to understand and respect this.
 It is cruel and it inflicts pointless suffering on
the animals involved.
 Those against say that the odds are stacked
against the bull and that the sport is cruel and
evil.
 Animal rights campaigners claim that in Spain
30,000 bulls are killed in the ring each year.
 The fights can be dangerous and matadors
have been killed during bullfights. The latest
matador to die during a bullfight was Ivan
Fandiño, in 2017.