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　　First, imagine yourself, along with thousands of others, running for your life towards a bullring 852 meters ahead! You hear the heavy breath of 600-kilogram bulls running alongside you and feel their raw power and strange beauty. You are part of a noisy crowd, experiencing something that is more like a dream than reality.

　　Although all this might seem like a scene from a Hollywood action movie, it’s not. It describes1 what has become known“as the running of the bulls,”the most famous part of the Spanish festival known as San Fermin.

　　Held every July for nine days in the ancient city of Pamplona, the San Fermin Festival draws hundreds of thousands to what is considered2“the biggest party in Europe.”Yet the origins3 of this popular festival reflect4 ancient and local traditions. As such, the festival is a celebration of Spain’s nine-century-old obsession5 with bullfighting and death itself.