Pamplona is San Fermin

The oldest known records of festivities held in honour of Saint Fermín date back to the 12th century. They refer to a relic of the Saint being brought to Pamplona from Amiens (France) in 1186. Bearing in mind that we are talking about medieval times, it should come as no surprise that this led to great devotion for the saint among the inhabitants of the city. Gradually, the dates of other important events held in the city during the year, such as the livestock fair and bullfighting festivals, were made to coincide with the religious acts in commemoration of the saint’s martyrdom. With the passage of time, all these popular additions to the festival slowly stressed the importance of the role of the public and made for the fiesta we know today, in which the people are the stars and driving force behind the fun.