Depositing silk necktie to Sanfermin

The red necktie is a classic symbol of the Fiestas. It is put on when the rocket goes off at 12.00 midday on the sixth of July.

And it is worn until the closing of the Fiesta on the night of the fourteenth, when the Pobre de Mí - (Poor me) is sung by the sad crowd. Here, the multitude gather once more under the facade of the Town hall, in the gloom of the midnight air, with glimmering candles in hand, to bide a sad farewell to the Fiesta for another long year.

In the last years a new fad has come into fashion - so new that there is no official name yet for this rite - whereby the people, after having sung their sad farewell to the Fiesta, head for the church of San Lorenzo, where the statue of the Saint is kept, and they deposit their necktie and candles on the gates of the old church.

This Rite is becoming increasingly popular, despite the dim view taken by the authorities. The problem is that the greasy candles leave a pool of dirty grease on the ground and the local Parish Priest was the first to protest against this "vandalism" in the local press when the custom began. No doubt, as soon as a solution is found for getting rid of this mess, the rite will become officially accepted, as has happened with so many other customs throughout the long history of the San Fermin Fiesta

• . < "Pobre de mí", the End-Ceremony of Sanfermin
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