Manfred Walloschke awarded with the Guiri of the Year

Kukuxumusu each year to a foreigner recognized for his or her special predilection for the Sanfermin fiestas. The Award was handed over by two founder-members of Kukuxumusu, Mikel Urmeneta and Koldo Aiestaran. The event was attended by a large number of habitual Germans who come to the Sanfermin fiestas.

With just under two weeks to go for the opening txupinazo rocket to go off to begin Sanfermin 2007, Mikel Urmeneta and Koldo Aiestaran from Kukuxumusu, personally handed over the award to Manfred Walloschke for 2007 Guiri of the Year. The award is a map of the world with horns and the model is the same as Kukuxumusu have been awarding for the past four years.

The event took place in a popular beer-hall in Munich, where the celebrations were a mixture of Bavarian traditions and Sanfermin celebrations. Several of the guests wore typical costumes from this German region. After the homage paid to Walloschke, the guests attended a dinner which included friends and family of the award winner.

Manfred Walloschke posando junto a los asistentes al eventoMikel Urmeneta underlined the special relationship which unites Manfred Walloschke with Sanfermin and Kukuxumusu – which were the reasons why he was chosen as an award-winner – and he added: “Manfred has been making uninterrupted visits to the Sanfermines over the past 28 years and he lives the fiestas just like any other local person would. However, being a foreigner, he has also extended our fiestas abroad and his participation along with other foreigners like him makes the Sanfermin fiestas even more special than if he were a local person”.

Walloschke warmly appreciated the award and he commented that “when I first arrived in Pamplona, the word “guiri” had a negative connotation and now, with this award from Kukuxumusu after ten years, to be a “guiri” is a matter of some pride.”

Fourth “Guiri” of the Year

Manfred Walloschke, an habitual attendant at Sanfermin ever since 1979, is the fourth winner of the award after the Puerto Rican, Carmen Margarita Alicea (2004), the North American Lore Monning (2005) and the Swedish Lars Ingvar Jungefors (2006). The aim of the award, in the words of Mikel Urmeneta is “to show our appreciation to all the foreigners who take part in the Sanfermin fiestas, as they have enriched the fiestas and made them more universal and interesting.”