Yup, I went to a bull fight. Technically it was called a "Novillada de Toros." This basically means that the six bulls were three years old and the bullfighters were less experienced.
The Plaza de Toros is spectacular! It's all white (I almost spelled that "wight"...) with gold detailing. A rich red fence surrounded the arena. The band was a nice touch and played fanfare music during various parts.
At the beginning, there is a parade, "paseillo," of the bullfighters and the horses.
Out comes the bull. They kind of play around with it and have it run after the main bullfighter and the assistant bullfighters, holding hot pink "capotes."
Then, the picadores come out on the horses, which wear protective gear. They cut the neck muscles of the bull with a lance, "pica," to weaken it. As they do it, the bull is usually ramming into the horse's protected belly. I was amazed at the horses. I can't imagine the time and effort that must go into training a horse to stand calmly as a bull is trying to plow it down.
After that, the bullfighters have the bull run around again. Then, they do this funny pose and stab the "barderillas" into the bull's shoulders. These are barbed darts with colorful shafts.
At this point, the main bullfighter remains in the ring by himself with a red cloth and a sword. Here, the goal is to completely insert the sword into the bull's back. Sometimes they fail. They have the bull run around some more until it gives up and collapses on the ground. A bullfighter uses a knife, called a "puntilla," to kill the bull.
They procede to drag the bull out of the arena in a very festive manner:
Other interesting notes from this outing:
-Outside the Plaza, there were protesters with megaphones and posters. There's a lot of people in Spain who oppose bullfights and consider it animal cruelty, which it is in a lot of ways. Some of the girls that went left early, or almost immediately.
-If the audience waves white handkerchiefs before the bull dies, they are petitioning the judges to save the bull because it has "proven itself."
-If the audience waves the handkerchiefs after the bull dies, they are petitioning the judges to award the main bullfighter a "trophy," usually the ear of the bull.
-The first bull of the novillada was saved. I don't remember any white handkerchiefs though, maybe it got "drafted" to the big leagues. To bring the bull back into the pen, a herd is released into the ring and the bull joins them as they exit.
-Two of the bullfighters were treated to a ride on the bulls' heads. They were fine, but it was a little scary to watch.
-Not all the bulls die smoothly. One of them was vomiting blood. After it laid down, it got up again and started walking until it collapsed. That was really hard to watch.
Overall, it was definitely an interesting cultural experience. I had heard about it before but actually watching it was a lot more shocking. You feel bad for the bull. The first two or three are very difficult to sit through, but then, you sort of get used to it. That part is a little concerning, especially when you think about how this "adaption" could occur in other ethically questionable situations. I don't think I could go again, but I wouldn't go out and protest it either.
The Plaza de Toros is spectacular! It's all white (I almost spelled that "wight"...) with gold detailing. A rich red fence surrounded the arena. The band was a nice touch and played fanfare music during various parts.
Other interesting notes from this outing:
-Outside the Plaza, there were protesters with megaphones and posters. There's a lot of people in Spain who oppose bullfights and consider it animal cruelty, which it is in a lot of ways. Some of the girls that went left early, or almost immediately.
-If the audience waves white handkerchiefs before the bull dies, they are petitioning the judges to save the bull because it has "proven itself."
-If the audience waves the handkerchiefs after the bull dies, they are petitioning the judges to award the main bullfighter a "trophy," usually the ear of the bull.
-The first bull of the novillada was saved. I don't remember any white handkerchiefs though, maybe it got "drafted" to the big leagues. To bring the bull back into the pen, a herd is released into the ring and the bull joins them as they exit.
-Two of the bullfighters were treated to a ride on the bulls' heads. They were fine, but it was a little scary to watch.
-Not all the bulls die smoothly. One of them was vomiting blood. After it laid down, it got up again and started walking until it collapsed. That was really hard to watch.
Overall, it was definitely an interesting cultural experience. I had heard about it before but actually watching it was a lot more shocking. You feel bad for the bull. The first two or three are very difficult to sit through, but then, you sort of get used to it. That part is a little concerning, especially when you think about how this "adaption" could occur in other ethically questionable situations. I don't think I could go again, but I wouldn't go out and protest it either.
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