Bullfighting as we call it is not even close to fighting. There is no fight; it’s really an art form- a dance. For those ‘Dancing with the Stars’ followers, the Plasa Doble is the dance of the Matadors. While the female partner is no bull, the movements, the style is much like the bullfighter.
The tradition of a ‘la fiesta brava’ or ‘corrida de toros’ is deep in the Spanish culture. Though it’s not known when it began, it dates back in some form prior to Roman arrival in Spain. Parts of the festival share Moorish aspects as they were known as the great horsemen. Bullfighting is not unique to Spain, it also occurs in Southern France, Portugal, and Mexico among others. The largest ring is in fact not in Spain, but Mexico.
While I have not been to a bullfight, I know individuals who have and they speak of the dance, the precision at which each movement of the act is demonstrated. Conversely, there are individuals who speak loudly against practice. They tell about the inhumane treatment of the bull prior to the fight and of course its demise at the end of 20 minutes.
I’m not going to debate the pros/cons of fighting, rather I just want to provide some information regarding the bullfight because I know most people reading this may know very little about the tradition. My roots are in the great prairies of South Dakota/Nebraska and I learned at an early age where meat comes from, be it beef or chicken. I’ve been a neighbor to a small town butcher, and lived just 9 miles away from a feed lot so I know exactly how beef is comes to market in the US. But again, I’m not going to debate the for/against bullfighting, but please if you’d like to discuss and provide feedback please add a comment.
You can’t have a bullfight without a bull. The bulls themselves are of a special breed. Their sole purpose is to be a great bull and show its strengths in the ring. These bulls come from a special bloodline and are checked at stages of their life to make sure they are of great capabilities. It is said these bulls live the best possible life until they are added to the ring.
The rings themselves have great history. One of the best known ring is the one in Seville, Spain. Officially known as Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla it really is a beautiful place. The color scheme is rich red and gold similar to the Spanish flag. The ring provides a very intimate setting for the festivities.
Then there are the Toreros including a Matador, Banderilleros, and Picadors along with others. While the Matador uses the red cape and is the named person on the attraction, he is not alone. He has an extensive support staff with some being seen publicly and others reserved for behind the scenes. There are significant expectations and rules that must be followed by those in the ring. There is a proper protocol that must be followed for each act in the fight.
The first act, if you will, is when the bull enters the ring and sees the Matador and Picadors for the first time. It is this during this act the Matador will size up the bull and determine its tendencies for the later acts. A bull that runs to a particular corner or a bull that runs toward anything will determine how the Matador proceeds.
Here the cape used by the Matador is much larger and traditionally pink and yellow. The picadors will place small lances in the bull during this act. But make no mistake, the Matador is in complete charge of what’s going on in the ring.
The second act starts when the Bandarillos stick darts in the back of the bulls neck. This is done to engage the bull to fight the Matador. All he while the Matador is still taking notes of the movements made buy the bull.
The final stage is the one of drama and artistic movements. The Matador uses the muleta a much smaller red cape. The movements are those that encourage the bull to make close passes to the Matador. After a few passes and acknowledgment from the president overseeing the fight, the Matador uses a sword to kill the bull in a single stab.
From here the bull is butchered the meet is sold to local restaurants and provided to charity. Usually the entire fight takes no more than 20 minutes. And a typical night has six Bulls.
While I had the opportunity to see a bullfight when I was in Madrid just a few weeks ago, I did not take the opportunity. I feel I would watch the bullfight on live TV or in a video without any issues because as I stated before, I do know beef comes from more than just the plastic package in the grocery store, but I did not want to see it in person. However, for the individuals that I know that have been to a bullfight, they speak very highly of the artistic movements that the Matadors make during the fight. They say it is very graceful. They also mention that the entire crowd, thousands of people, gets involved and they act as directors for the Matador in how the acts progress. It is the crowd that widely determines what goes on in the ring.
During the fight that MrKamraMan saw in Madrid, a bull was actually saved; something that rarely happens. The bull was determined to not be a good bull, a coward, and after just a few minutes they decided the bull would be spared because a Matador only fights a strong bull. But once you have a bull in the arena, you may be asking how do you get the bull out? Afterall it’s the Matador’s responsibility to fight the bulls not escort them out of the arena. Well you send in the cows of course! That’s right in order to get the bull out, a few cows are sent into the arena and then after only a few seconds, the cows return to the outside of the arena and the bull follows. Although this one bull was spared, another bull was sent in as his replacement and fought the Matador.
Below are some pictures that were taken inside the Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla. While I was in Seville I took a tour of the museum and was able to see the entire bullring including the chapel that is utilized by those that enter the ring before each match.
