Nine days after the rocket that started it all, the festival fades out with another ritual just as heavy with symbolism, but of the opposite sign: Pobre de mí ("Poor me"). At midnight on July 14th, thousands of people gather once again in Plaza Consistorial, this time with candles lit, to sing the farewell.
The song
The lyrics — "Pobre de mí, pobre de mí, que se han acabao las fiestas de San Fermín" ("Poor me, poor me, for the San Fermín festival has ended") — are sung with a bittersweet tone, a mix of sadness at the ending and celebration of everything lived. It's common to see Running of the Bulls runners, exhausted peña members and tourists from all over the world singing it shoulder to shoulder, many with genuine tears.
The symbolism of the neckerchief
When the song ends, many participants take off the red neckerchief they tied around their neck, the very same one they knotted on nine days earlier at the Chupinazo, closing the symbolic circle of the festival. It's a gesture as widespread as it is spontaneous, and probably the most melancholic — and most beautiful — image of the entire program.
Live it, even if you're exhausted
After nine days of festivities, the temptation to skip the closing ceremony is understandable. But those who have experienced it agree: Pobre de mí sums up, better than any other event, what San Fermín truly means to those who live it fully.
Where and how to watch it
Just like the Chupinazo, it takes place in Plaza Consistorial, though with a much less aggressive crowd — the atmosphere is more restrained and emotional than euphoric. You don't need to arrive as early as for the Chupinazo, although the best spots still fill up ahead of time.