Bullfighting: The Art of Fighting With a Bull

In Spain, there are many old cultural traditions. One of the most lively and popular cultural experiences tourists can explore today is dancing flamenco. If you rather enjoy good food and wine, a wine tour with tapas can be an alternative. If you are even braver and want to discover a several hundred years old tradition, bullfighting might be what you can attend. Every week from March to October there are bull fights going on in major Spanish towns. A traditional bullfighting event usually last for about 2 hours from you enter until leaving the stadium.

The origins of Spanish bullfighting show the underlying passion that many have for the sport. The bull has an almost mythical status among those that love the sport of bullfighting. The bull has had a long history of being associated with divinity. For man to conquer the bull showed the strength of the fighter and was thought to honor the fearlessness and might of the bull. When bullfighting first started, it involved man fighting from the back of the horse. However, in the early 18th century that changed to the matador fighting the bull on foot with a sword and cape. That brought man and the bull on the same playing level. Today, there is a formal ritual around the entire bull fight.

The bullfight itself falls into three different distinct stages. However, before the first stage opens, the matador has some time to see the bull's actions during the beginning overture. Some of the matador's assistants will work the bull in the ring. It allows the matador to see how the bull reacts to different situations. The first stage of the bullfight, the tercio de varas, begins with a trumpet flourish. This stage is where the matador first encounters the bull. With cape flourishes and careful moves, the matador is testing the bull further to see how the bull reacts. After this, mounted picadors enter the arena with lances in hand. Their job is to stab the neck of the bull to start the blood flowing.

The second stage of the bullfight is the tercio de banderillas. The banderilleros attempt to plant barbed sticks, called banderillas, into the neck of the bull. This helps to weaken the bull further and enrages it to make the show more intense. The matador reenters the ring to work the bull even more. The final act is the tercio de muerte. The matador begins working the bull using the infamous short red cape known as the muleta. This is the time when the matador comes as close to the bull as possible. The final act of this play is when the matador uses the sword to kill the bull with a stab through the heart.

Bullfighting is very dangerous for the matador and normally fatal to the bull. Goring is when the creature spears the opponent with their horn, giving the matador severe injuries. Goring happens in less than 1 out of 20 fights, but is possible. The last matador to die in a Spanish ring was in 1985.