The Frenchman, Jean-Louis Douenne, was today given the X Guiri de Sanfermin Award, which is annually bestowed by Kukuxumusu to some long-standing foreign visitor or other who comes to Sanfermin. The firm aims in this way to give recognition to the contribution of the visitors to the fiestas which they live with a passion and intensity every bit as strong as the local people do.
Kukuxumusu has become the third Brand after Coca Cola and the El Hormiguero TV program, on the nationwide Antena 3 Channel, in having an official account at Line España, the latest messenger service that is in competition with Whatsapp and which already has 10 million users in Spain.
As from today, The Kukuxumusu official account at Line contains some novelties, promotions and drawings, as well as 16 free stickers which are now available to all followers of this account. In addition, within a few days it will be possible to download a pack of 40 stickers which will be sold at a price of 1,79 euros in iOS and 100 coins on Google Play.
The stickers which have been created by Kukuxumusu feature Tetis & Testis, the bull and the cow who both enjoy laughing at everything. Elehand, the funny elephant with the smart hand is also featured along with Icel, the only cube of ice that never melts.
Part One.
That great Sanferminero, Bomber, who so prematurely passed away long before his time this February, used to say, “Pamplona is a gift.” Thank you Bomber, because that so sweetly and simply sums up some of what this beautiful town and its inhabitants and fiesta mean to me. I used the same title but in Spanish for an article that was published in the Diario de Navarra newspaper on the 4th of April – Pamplona Es Un Regalo – because I thought it was such a perfect line. Especially as April has the fourth step on the ladder to fiesta and we were getting that much closer. The gift was slowly unwrapping…
Beeelorzia, the wooly-haired whoopee lady is ever ready to catch out Mister Testis even if it means giving him a prod in the tummy. But the prince of partying himself knows there is not long to go now and he does not lose heart or pass out. Don’t let them give you any hassle.
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.
Kukuxumusu once again this year marks its collaboration with Songfermin, with a contribution to this project that sets out to find musical forms and styles that are different to the traditional musical offers found in Sanfermin. This year the protagonists are “Soñadores Natos”, a local band from Pamplona with a reggae rhythm for their theme piece “Iruña Party Time” as they cover different corners of Pamplona showing their singular concept of what Sanfermin means to them. La Taconera, La Vuelta del Castillo, The Old Quarter and the city walls are just some of the scenarios chosen to display the free spirit and multicultural aspect of the fiestas. A song that invites everyone to have a good time, to have fun and it will surely become a background piece for many Sanfermin scenes over these following days.
This theme now joins a growing list of the Songfermin Project such as “Kalimotxo de Mamá” by Pablo Carbonell, “Testis Rap” from Zyro, “Vente” from Ncrisis or “El Beso de la Pulga” from Gualitxo. The video may be seen at You Tube and it can be freely downloaded and copied from here in order to be used at fiestas and in bars and Peña clubs.
Photos from the 11th
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 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.
Catherine Donnell, a 52 year old North-American was born in Santa Fé (New México-USA). In Paris, this past weekend she was awarded the trophy of IX Guiri del Año de Sanfermin 2012 by Koldo Aiestaran, one of the founder-members of Kukuxumusu, in recognition of her unremitting visits to Sanfermin. This award has been handed out each year ever since 2004 by the Pamplona firm in recognition of the contribution made by the foreigners who come to Sanfermin fiestas and who held to make Sanfermin what it is.
Kukuxumusu will once again celebrate the annual kiddies bullrunning – the encierro txiki. They also celebrated this special event for the kids last year in Estafeta Street. It is now 25 years since the last real running of the bulls as a special children’s event, took place when real young calves were used. Kukuxumusu wishes to promote an event for the kiddies, even if the bulls are giant-sized stuffed animals. The popular blue bull, Mister Testis, along with some of his “brothers” will run the few hundred meters along the street – the distance which seperates the two Kukuxumusu stores which are to be found in this downtown street. The event will take place next Thursday, 12th of July, at seven in the evening.
