Post date: Jul 08, 2013 9:22:30 PM
PAMPLONA, SPAIN (TVE) - The main square of Spain's Pamplona is a sea of red as thousands of revelers came to witness the firing of the "Chupinazo" rocket, which officially marks the opening of the famed nine-day San Fermin festival.
The celebration is one of Spain's most famous fiestas and goes hand in hand with adrenaline, all-night parties and daily bull runs, famously described by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises".
As per tradition, early in the morning some of these revelers will try to outrun a herd of bulls in the narrow, medieval streets of Pamplona, guiding them towards the city's bull ring.Every year dozens of thrill seekers get injured in the process and 15 have been killed since the opening of the current ring in 1922, with the latest deadly incident happening in 2009.