Start warming up for Sanfermin because there are only four months to go before the floodgates open and the fiestas take off amid the splashing beverages, wild partying and deafening hullabaloo. Little by little the aroma of the fiesta is making itself present before it explodes on the 6th of July. Start tuning up and don’t be caught unawares, lest you get knocked over by Mister Testis.
The snapshot shows a typical warming-up scene as the crowd waits for the Chupinazo rocket to go off to open the Sanfermin fiestas. The photo was taken by the Pamplona photographer, José Torregrosa and it has been given the title “La Diosa de la Juerga” (‘The Goddess of the Rave-Up’). The Jury has selected it as the winning photo of this VI Sanfermin Erotic Photo Competition and it receives the first prize of 1.500 euro. The snapshot was taken about an hour and a half before the opening rocket was set off in front of Pamplona City Hall. It shows a girl baring her breasts in front of a packed crowd who admire her with interest. The president of the jury, Mikel Urmeneta, observes that “the figure of the women does not at all suggest a sexual object but rather she stands out like some kind of huge goddess of the party scene before an admiring largely masculine public who are transfixed by a mixture of amusement and stunned under her power. Without a doubt, she is in control of the scene”.
José Torregrosa is a 63 year-old man from Pamplona and he has been an enthusiastic amateur photographer for many years. His snapshot has come out on top from the 231 entries sent in by 66 different authors. The Jury praised the composition of the photo as well as the technique found in the image and the precise moment when the girl exhibits herself and how she seems to dazzle the throng of people packed together in the square shortly before the fiestas take off.
José María Sanchón, editor of Playboy magazine and a member of the jury points out that ” The classic image of the fiestas which I have always had of the Sanfermin fiestas is that of the bulls, in the line of the Hemingway novel, but it is clear that I have got it wrong. Now, with all the photos entered for the competition, I can see that there is a strong element of the American style Spring Break. The notes of the Mardi Gras from New Orleans, like the “flashing” in the winning photo – I mean showing off her breasts in public – there is a strong suggestion of those wild bawdy university movies with a whiff of kalimotxo booze in the air.”
Torregrosa and his camera have had a long relationship with the Sanfermin fiestas. Just recently Torregrosa finally got rid of the plaster around his forearm which he has had ever since the 12th of July this year. The accident happened during the running of the bulls on the 12th right in the middle of the fiestas when a runner, trying to get away from a bull, knocked José Torregrosa off the wooden fencing where he was seated and which resulted in a broken bone.
His winning photo was taken at 10.34 in the morning of the 6th of July and he used a Nikon D300S a shutter speed of 1/250, to 200 of Iso, f/8 of diaphragm and an 18-135 mm lens. That camera came to a sorry end at the time of the accident to his forearm when it was completely destroyed in his fall.
El sábado 25 se celebrará en México DF un Chupinazo singular que permitirá evocar la fiesta de Sanfermin. En la finca La Tapaíta desde la una de la tarde (horario mexicano) se unirán cuatro elementos esenciales que garantizan una fiesta como la de Sanfermin: gente con ganas de pasarlo bien, música con el grupo Liquits, Mister Testis y mucha juerga. Esta fiesta se suma al Chupinazo que otros años se había celebrado en México DF y servirá para pasarlo bien en el primero de los actos del acuerdo de colaboración entre Televisa y Kukuxumusu.
El Chupinazo contará con la participación de Mister Testis que ha aprovechado su letargo veraniego para reactivarse y viajar a México. La juerga está garantizada gracias a la colaboración del Bar la Borboleta, la finca Lienzo Charro-La Tapaíta, la actuación del grupo Liquits y Kukuxumusu. Próximamente os contaremos cómo fue este Chupinazo mexicano.
BUY THE TEE SHIRT
The Kukuxumusu Drawing Factory and Miguel Indurain have come together in order to design a tee shirt for the opening of the Vuelta de España cycling race, which this year starts off in Pamplona. The national cycling race will start next 18th August and the final stretch of the first stage will take place along the course of the running of the bulls.
The drawing shows a rather curious cycling-style “running of the bulls” along Estafeta Street in Pamplona, and through which the cyclists will pass at the start of the race this year. The drawing shows Indurain leading the field of riders dressed with a cycling top with no.1 on it as he competes against a squad of “bull-cyclists” who charge at all the runners who dare to run in front of them.
The Navarra cyclist, who won the Tour five times in a row, and who is also the winner of 2 Giro in Italia, wished to play his part in this Project, giving his opinion about the design of the garment and the creation of the drawing. He also provided the slogan or phrase to accompany the drawing made by Kukuxumusu; “Giving people a thrill is the nicest thing about leading the field”.
The tee shirt comes in a red color and it is now available at all official Kukuxumusu stores in unisex models as well as in ladies and kids sizes, at a price of 19, 50 euro for the adult size and 14 euro for children’s sizes.
The drawing shows a large cross-section of the different personalities related to the Bullring and the Bullfights: from the ticket touts to the president; from the infirmary surgeon to the fancy dress “Mayor” on the sunny side of the bullring. According to Mikel Urmeneta, founder-member of Kukuxumusu, “The drawing design aims to be a homage to the Casa de Misericordia Benevolent Society and to the 90 years’ existence of the current Bullring”. This drawing also has a sketch of Paco Cano, a photographer of the running of the bulls who has just turned 100 years of age.
Among other people characterized in the tee shirt drawing, Carlos Gil can also be found “he was an exceptional person who was very much attached to Sanfermin, and who died this past Spring.”
Exactly in the year when two of the Kilikis figures, “Patata” and “Napoleón” are celebrating their hundredth annivesary, as well as two of the Zaldikos, the number one and number six, the whole entourage of the Giants and their figures have visited one of the Kukuxumusu Drawing Factory stores and they danced for all the public who happened to be nearby.
Just after ten o`clock this morning, the Giants’ Entourage made a stop on their daily parade through the streets ,in front of the Kukuxumusu store and dedicated a special dance to the firm. In exchange a small aperitif was handed round by Kukuxumusu staff to keep up the strength and spirits of the giant-sized figures and their followers so as to be able to continue their parade in front of the citizens of Pamplona around the city, as they do each morning of fiestas.
At 7.00 p.m. in the afternoon, three large fluffy bulls from the Kukuxumusu Drawing Factory bull-ranch, once again featured in this annual running of the bulls for the kiddies. Hundreds of children took part, along with their admiring parents, in this II edition of a kiddies running of the bulls. The excited kids were delighted to imitate their seniors by aping the real version of the running of the bulls, including singing their homily to the saint, setting off a rocket to announce the start of the run and even to have some special bull-minders on hand to keep things in order as well as having a first-aid post for any post-race injuries to be treated.
After the starting rocket and the homily song to the saint had been sung, the pack of blue fluffy bulls came out of their pens and started to run. Hundreds of children of all ages were running in front of the bulls, many of the smaller members being accompanied by their parents or other family members. Of course, they tried their best to get in close in front of the horns of the big blue fluffy bulls.
The distance of the course – the 200 meters that separate the two Kukuxumusu stores in Estafeta Street – was filled with kids and the bull-minders had to work hard to ensure that the runners behaved properly and to ensure that the run was carried out as safely and normally as posible. Some of the kids showed good skill in getting close in front of the horns.
The big fluffy blue Kukuxumusu bulls tried to catch a cheeky kid or two on their fluffy horns, especially when these kids tried to pull them by their tails, but in general, the bulls were well-behaved and in the end there were no gorings suffered by the kids. However, the first-aid post had to attend and treat some of the adults and some of their kids for “attacks” of laughter and excitement during the execution of the race.
After half an hour of nervous excitement, some tight running, the odd case of pushing and shoving, some trip-ups and slip-ups, and lots of fun and laughs, this II edition of the kiddies running of the bulls was brought to a close. Immediately afterwards, many of the kids queued up have their photos taken with the three big fluffy Kukuxumusu bulls.
The North-American who resides in Paris, Catherine Donnell today received the IX Premio Guiri Del Año Award which is handed out each year by Kukuxumusu in recognition of the role that foreigners who live the fiestas with passion and intensity add to the Sanfermin fiestas. The award was handed over at the Europa restaurant coinciding with the celebration of Guiri Day. This special day has been organized by Kukuxumusu for the past 15 years in order to pay homage to all the foreigners who visit Sanfermin.
The Fallas from Valencia will this year feature as the fiestas to be honored and paid homage in this IV edición del Jai Day, which the Kukuxusmusu Drawing Factory has organized at 7.00 p.m. this evening in the Baluarte square in the center of Pamplona.
The celebration, which is open to everyone, will begin this evening with the installation of the four-meter-high ninot built by the experienced Falla carpenter, Vicente Tornador, in his workshop in Burriana. There will also be two giant-sized paellas cooked by the restaurant owner in Valencia, Rafael Vidal. These will two of the main ingredients of this homage as well as the particupation of the brass band – the Banda Sinfónica from the Casa Regional de Valencia in Navarra.
While the ninot is being installed, which will be formed by the figure of a bull and a runner of the bulls, designed by Kukuxumusu, the chef, Rafael Vidal, well-known for his work in standarding a recipe for paella from Valencia, will begin to make his classic rice dish. Hopefully, everyone who comes along will get a taste of his finished paella. In addition, the Brass Band from the Casa Regional de Valencia in Navarra will enliven processings and the Amstel brewry will offer free beer to the public.
The homage will come to an end at nine thirty in the evening when the firecrackers are set off and tthe burning of the ninot takes place
Everyone is welcome!
More pictures from the 8th of July
The Kukuxumusu Drawing Factory toasted a homage to the Fallas from Valencia in this fourth edition of the Jai Day, in a celebration held today right in the heart of the Sanfermin fiestas. Over a three-hour event, the public were handed out some 600 servings of paella cooked by the Valencia chef, Rafael Vidal and to close the celebrations, a four-meter-high ninot made by Vicente Tornador, a professional from Valencia, was burnt.
The event opened around seven o’clock in the afternoon with an official opening made by Koldo Aiestaran, a founder-member of Kukuxumusu, who justified the decision to homage the Fallas for this fourth edition of Jai Day because “they represent another universal form of enjoying fiestas and of expressing the culture of a people”. Aiestaran highlighted the Fallas for “the humor of the ninots and social criticism expressed in popular humor”.
Immediately afterwards, the chef and paella expert, Rafael Vidal, , well-known for being an advocate of a standardized recipe for the Valencia paella, began to make two giant-sized paellas which were later handed round to the public in attendance in the Baluarte Sq. in Pamplona. Meanwhile, the experienced carpenter from Valencia, Vicente Tornador, began to construct a four-meter-high ninot which represented a runner and the popular blue bull, Mr. Testis. This was designed by Kukuxumusu and built by the Valencia carpenter at his workship in Burriana.
All the while, the event was enlivened by the brass band, from the Valencia regional house in Navarra the Banda Sinfónica de la Casa Regional de Valencia played some popular Valencia fiestas music for the public. Among those present was the president of the Casa Valenciana in Navarra, Salvador Tarazona, and the conductor of the brass band, Adriá Sánchez and the queen of the 2012 Fallas, Eva Ruiz.
The fiesta event, at which the Amstel brewery served free beer to the public, finally came to a close with a loud cascade of fireworks and with the burning of the ninot. A loud round of applause from the
public brought the event to an end.
