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Whether the running of the bulls in Pamplona rouses your manly spirit or your ire at cruelty to animals, there’s quite a bit of history behind the event. The Week did some research and dug up some interesting bits of trivia with which to wow those Ernest Hemingway-loving friends of yours.

1. The event is hundreds of years old

Historians trace the Running of the Bulls as far back as 1385, when bullfights first began in Pamplona, and it became a tradition to run the animals through the city beforehand. Many say the tradition officially began in 1591, when three main summer events — the festival of San Fermin, the livestock fair, and the bullfighting festival — were combined.

2. The runners’ uniforms may honor a saint… or butchers

Mozos, as the adrenaline-hungry adventurers who run with the bulls are called, traditionally wear white pants and shirts, accessorized with a red bandana around the neck or waist. One legend says the look is meant to honor San Fermin, as the white symbolizes sainthood and the red the fact that he was martyred. Others say the mozos are meant to be dressed like the butchers who originated the tradition. Either way, “the bulls are colorblind, so they don’t care,” says Rick Steves in the Chicago Tribune.

3. Bulls aren’t the only running beasts

Six bulls go running through the streets of Pamplona, but a few steers (castrated bulls) are released along with them. Bulls are most savage when they’re separated from the herd, so having the calmer, slower steers around helps mitigate the danger somewhat. “There’s no greater embarrassment in this machismo culture than to think you’ve run with a bull, only to realize later that you actually ran with a steer,” says Steves.

Full story at The Week.

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