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The Running of the Bulls The "Running of the Bulls" festival takes place on the 6th of July at midday until the 14th of July. The festival begins when the mayor makes an announcement and a rocket is launched. On the seventh of July, the first bull fight takes place. The main part of the holiday is when a small group of bulls(a dozen) are let loose on a sectioned off area. After they are let loose, they have to go from one spot to another. It is said that the holiday started in 1591. It may have started when a group of citizens had to herd a group of bulls to the bull fighting arena. At first, only the drovers were used to herd the bulls, but later, the butcher's guild began to help the drovers by chasing behind the bulls and heifers up to the bull-ring from Santo Domingo street, which was the starting point of the run. Soon, the event became more popular and people had the idea to run in front of the bulls, instead of behind them, as the drovers did. In 1852, a new bull-ring was built and a new and shorter route was established. As from 1899, it was decided that runners would bring the bulls up to a small corral on Santo Domingo street the night before they fight in the ring. Originally, only a few people ran with the bulls, but the adrenaline rush of running of a 1500 pound bull has since caught on. Now, people journey from all over the world to run with the bulls. Other cities in Spain have bull running festivals if you cannot make San Fermin, or do not like crowds. Some people may go to Aravaca-Pozuelo, which is s suburb of Madrid, to attend a bull running festival which takes place late in summer.

Definitions: Drovers: a large number of people or things doing or undergoing the same thing. Guild:a medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power.