Running of the bulls through the streets of Pamplona: Dramatic images from the controversial tradition
Spain kicked off one of its most controversial and adrenaline-fueled traditions on Monday: the Pamplona bull run.
As part of the nine-day San Fermín Festival held every year from July 6 to July 14, the event brings more than a million thrill-seekers and spectators from across the globe to the city of Pamplona to watch hundreds of brave revelers get chased through the streets by six large bulls.
At the stroke of 8 a.m. on July 7 of the festival every year, the bulls are released from their corral and charge through narrow alleys, toward the Plaza de Toros, the city's bullring, where they will later be killed by matadors during the evening's bullfights.
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The runs last roughly three and a half minutes each day. Participants and spectators dress in white pants and a white shirt, with a red sash tied around the waist and a red handkerchief tied as a scarf around the neck. For the participants themselves, it's a heart-pumping race against time — and sharp horns.
Made internationally famous in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, the bull runs are dedicated to the city's patron saint, San Fermín. The tradition dates back to the 16th century when cattle herders used the bull run route to transport animals from the countryside into the city for bullfights, according to Time magazine.
Still, the excitement doesn't come without perils.
Dozens of runners are injured every year, with a reported 16 deaths since 1924. On the second day of the bull run this year, a man, identified only as being older than the age of 25, was gored by a bull's horn under his right armpit, highlighting the event's inherent risks. Seven others were injured and suffered bruises and contusions to the shoulder or head.
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Despite the danger, the event's allure remains undiminished, drawing participants year after year despite the controversy it stirs among animal rights groups.
Here are some of the tense moments captured on camera during this year's running of the bulls in Pamplona.
Revelers run with bulls along Calle Estafeta on July 9. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)
Participants wearing traditional white outfits and red scarves take part in the first running of the bulls event on July 7. (Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Bulls slip as they run through the Estafeta curve during the second running of the bulls on July 8. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)
Revelers run with bulls along Calle Estafeta during the San Fermin festival on July 9. (Jeff)
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Participants run with a bull on July 7. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)
A fallen runner crouches low as the bulls ran past on July 8. (Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images)
Runners get pinned down as a bull charges on July 8. (Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images)
Runners fall over as bulls charge past on July 8. (Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images)
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A young bull charges at a participant in the ring on July 9. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)
Participants and Alvaro Nunez bulls run during the San Fermin festival on July 9. (Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images)
Runners fall as a bull that strayed from the pack charges on July 8. (Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images)
Participants run ahead of Alvaro Nunez bulls at the entrance of the ring on July 9. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)
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Bull runners on the streets during the San Fermin festival on July 8. (Fernando Pidal/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A participant is tossed by an Alvaro Nunez bull on July 9. (Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images)
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