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From July 6th to July 14th each year, the city of Pamplona celebrates the Festival of San Fermín, also known as Sanfermines. It is one of the most famous and popular festivals in the world, with the city’s population swelling during this week as visitors descend on the capital of Spain’s Navarre region. People and institutions from across the city work together to make it a success – and that includes CA Osasuna.
The LALIGA EA SPORTS club is a symbol of the city of Pamplona all year round and is very present during the Sanfermines celebrations, held to honour the Christian martyr Saint Fermin. From the CA Osasuna-branded clothing that is worn by many festival-goers to the club’s participation at an institutional level, the football team has a significant role to play.
The Festival of San Fermín always begins with the tradition known as the Chupinazo, an opening ceremony in which a rocket is set off to the chant of “Long live San Fermín”. It used to be that a local politician would conduct this honour, but it has become more common for local personalities to launch the Chupinazo, and funnily enough it was a CA Osasuna player who started this trend.
In the year 2000, the team’s captain César Palacios ended a run of politicians launching the Chupinazo, as he was given the chance to do so to celebrate the fact that the Rojillos had secured promotion to the top flight that year. In 2018, another CA Osasuna player was on the balcony for this opening ceremony, this time Ibai Ganuza, a member of CA Osasuna’s LALIGA GENUINE team and the band Motxila 21. And just last year, the Chupinazo was presided over by former CA Osasuna player Juan Carlos Unzué, who has ALS and who has been a high-profile campaigner for various charities in recent years.
After the festival is officially opened, there are many cultural events held over the next several days. The Running of the Bulls may be the most famous, but it isn’t the only one as there are also dances, processions and a communal singsong on the final day of the festivities, as the city gathers to sing “Pobre de Mí,” a traditional lament to wave goodbye to the celebrations until the following year.
Throughout all of these activities, residents will often wear traditional dress of a white shirt and a red necktie. If you look closely, many people can be seen sporting the official CA Osasuna versions of these items of clothing, which go on sale each year.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it wasn’t possible for the city of Pamplona to celebrate the Festival of San Fermín as it normally would, not in 2020 nor in 2021. But CA Osasuna still shared messages on July 6th of both years, while the team even played a LALIGA EA SPORTS match against RC Celta in July 2020 – during the pandemic-hit season – while wearing a specially designed San Fermín shirt created in partnership with then technical sponsor Hummel.
The club’s aim was to give global visibility to Sanfermines, to remind potential tourists about this celebration ahead of its return in future years. This year, with the festival back for a second time after two years without, it is no different given how important it is for the city not only culturally and economically but also emotionally.
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