2 History of the Festival _ Running of the Bulls 2014 _ Esquire Network

[♪ music ♪] Now this historic run is part of a larger event called the Festival of San Fermin in honor of a sainted local bishop who died around 300 AD. The festival itself dates back to the Middle Ages when merchants would bring the cattle to Pamplona during the festival in his memory. Now some of the week's festivities include celebrations of music, dance, parades, tournaments, acrobats, and bullfights. There is so much to do at this fiesta. Right. And the opening of the festival is marked by the lighting of a rocket called the Chupinazo. This was the scene yesterday at noon the Mayor of Pamplona, Enrique Maya, officially kicked off the festivities. Now Ernest Hemingway, he popularized the run in his book "The Sun Also Rises." He referred to this exact moment as the fiesta exploding. Now of course for all of the rituals, Juan as you know, it is in fact one big party. Running of the Bulls, live from Pamplona, Spain, continues today at 2 am on the new Esquire Network.