Friday, September 19, 2014
Corrida de Toros 2014
Many of you have
always been fascinated with the television coverage of the “Running of the
Bulls” that takes place during a fiesta week in Pamplona every year. There are
courageous folk who run in the streets, trying to avoid the horns of nasty
bulls. It is a dangerous practice, to be sure.
But that same
activity also takes place in many other towns and villages in Spain. Usually
during the fiesta week, the side streets are barricaded to keep the bulls
moving from start to finish. Most often, young bulls are used, and they are accompanied
by young cows. This activity is not as dangerous as the one in Pamplona, but
still gets the blood stirring.
There are large areas
in Spain where you will find empty bull rings. Bullfighting has been banned
along the Mediterranean Coast, from the French border as far south as Valencia.
Ernest Hemmingway loved the fights, and wrote extensively about the bulls, the
fighters, and the mystique of the institution. Several of his books have been
made into movies, and, for a better understanding of the subject, they are
recommended.
By no means would I
consider myself an authority on the subject. I attended one bullfight, more
than forty years ago. I was mesmerized from start to finish. I did read extensively
on the topic, and I enjoy visiting the sites. A week ago, on Sunday, there were
bullfights in several rings in southern Spain. Unfortunately, our schedule did
not permit a visit to the ring. There was also a fight in the village of Mijas,
in a tiny bull ring that might seat 2 000 people. There are some bull rings
that will comfortably hold 100 000 patrons.
The bullfighters
working in Mijas come from southern Spain. That is the case with most of the
matadors. A majority of the bulls also come from the southern areas of Spain,
and are carefully selected before they enter the ring. Christian Guerrero,
Lazaro Escalona, and Juan C. Benitez fought the bulls last Sunday. The surname
Benitez is famous in the circles of bullfighting, as “El Cordobes” was a Benitez.
He was the most famous matador in Spain for many years, and retired virtually
healthy.
That is not always
the case, as many matadors, also called toreros, have been killed in the ring.
They must work carefully, and quickly, as no bull fight can last longer than 15
minutes. After that period of time, the bull becomes extremely dangerous. There
is a large entourage that accompanies the bullfighter: banderilleros,
responsible for placing the colourful banderillas on the flanks of the bull,
picadors, those on horseback who prepare the bull to charge in a consistent
manner, and a host of others.
The entire team
parades into the ring before the entrance of the bull. The actual event is
broken into three stages, known as tercios. To begin the fight, the torero
works the bull with his cape to judge the charge of the bull. The final act is
performed only by the matador, using his red cloth, the muleta. In fact, bulls
are colourblind, and respond to the movement of the cape, not the colour.
The bullfight has been
an institution in Spain for more than two hundred years, and you will also find
bull rings in many Spanish-speaking countries, southern France and in Africa.
It is not for everyone, but it is a spectacular event, and it captures the
imagination of many aficionados every Sunday during the summer throughout most
of the country.
Ole!
James Hurst
Sportslices.com
September, 2014.
# posted by James Hurst @ 10:09 AM 
