I Survived: Bull Running in Spain

With Lent just a week away, all of Spain has been celebrating carnival.  In cities all over this Catholic country, various sorts of parties and festivals are held in celebration of the upcoming religious holiday. The most famous Carnival parties are probably in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, or in Cádiz in Andalusia, where the parades, partying, and traditions are world famous.  Think of it as comparable to Madri Gras in the United States...and it's what I tried celebrating last week in Venice! Basically these carnivals are happening all over the Catholic world!

Well, I took part in carnival at Ciudad Rodrigo yesterday.  Having purchased a 15 euro bus ticket earlier that week, my friends and I took a 10:30 am bus from Salamanca to Ciudad Rodrigo, about an hour away, close to the Portugal border.  In addition to the lunch that my host mom packed for me, I also brought my camera, water bottle, and a change of clothes.

And, of course, a costume!

Why a costume? For tradition, of course.  This weekend, children have been getting dressed up in crazy costumes, and going out at night, everyone has been in costume.  In fact, elementary and high schools don't have school on Monday and Tuesday!  On Saturday, while trying to buy a costume, my friends had to wait 15 minutes outside the store before we were let in.  THAT is how popular this holiday is.

Which to me is so weird, because in October, Halloween in Salamanca was not celebrated the way it is in the United States, and the only people that really got dressed up are university students, and mostly Americans, at that.  My point is that in terms of dressing up,  Carnival is like the Halloween of Spain!

Can't you tell? I"m a Brazilian dancer

So my friends and I showed up to Ciudad Rodrigo in crazy costumes, ready to see what the fuss was all about.  Roller coaster rides, markets, and food stands were set up in the downtown area, but we found our way to a grassy knoll where we were away from the crowds with a view of the event.  THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS! Around 1:30 pm, 7 bulls were released into a fenced in course and herded around the town into the central arena.

It was the perfect day to spend with friends, soaking in the Spanish sun and letting the day unfold without a care in the world.  The best surprise of my day was unwrapping the triple-decker ham and cheese sandwich my host mom had packed for me, knowing that I would be hungry after an afternoon of running around and goofing off with friends.

The view of the city

Crowds lined up to watch the running 

Bystanders in costumes

Lined up, waiting for the bulls to run by

After the bull running, the crowd slowly moved towards the central arena.  Not willing to pay 15 euro to watch the bulls slowly be slaughtered, I opted to simply wait outside the arena and enjoy the crowds.  It seemed the whole world was dressed up in costume, and it was fun bumping into friends and exchanging stories about who had run.  Most of the guys I am studying with from Salamanca decided to go for it, and it was fun hearing about their bull running adventures.

Trying to catch a glimpse of the bull fight

That evening, much to our surprise, there was another bull running. Of course, not wanting to forfeit adventure, I decided to take a chance and go for it. I left my bags with my friend, Julia, hopped the fence with my friend Somer, and waited in the road for the bulls to run by. Of the 4 bulls that ran by, 3 were anticlimactic.  There were so many people standing around that it wasn't really that dangerous.  The huge animals simply lumbered by, not wanting any trouble.  But when the final bull came charging through, he took a turn up the hill towards our direction---that's when we decided to book it and slide back through the fence to safety!  All I have to show is a bruised ankle.  One student I know had to go to the ambulance after bruising his rubs and chest  trying to get away from a bull.

Late night bull running

Maybe not the most responsible decision we have made; but now we can finally say it: I SURVIVED RUNNING WITH THE BULLS!