San Fermin ‘Galician style'

18/07/2008. Residents and friends in the Galician town of Chapela (Vigo) celebrate their own San Fermin fiesta, complete with Txupinazo, Running of the Hens, the fiesta itself and Pobre de Mi (the end of the fiesta), all packed into one day!

It all began as a bit of a joke, but San Fermin ‘Galician style' is now in its fifth year. Of all the towns and villages in Galicia, it just had to be in Chapela, which also happens to be the Basque word for the berets so often seen during the real fiestas. In just one day, the locals, families and friends all get together to celebrate the San Fermin fiesta their way. They launch a rocket to get proceedings under way, just like we do with the Txupinazo, they run with the hens (!) and generally throw a grand party. The San Fermin fiestas serve as the perfect excuse and imagination and enthusiasm do the rest.

The event has given rise to one of the strangest "bull runs" we have ever heard of: the running of the hens! The really unique thing is that the people take on the role of the bulls and the hens are the runners. The crowd gently urges the animals over the distance which separates Chapela from Vigo. The event is held in a different part of the town each year so that no-one misses out on the fun. A coop full of millet and a well-earned rest awaits the hens at the end of the ordeal.

Some 500 people, all dressed in typical San Fermin attire, took part in the celebrations this year, which were a great success in terms of both numbers and organisation in general.