I finally mustered up the courage to go to a bull fight (corrida de toros) this past Sunday. I convinced myself that it was a cultural nessecity and that my experience in Spain would be incomplete without it. How could I tell people that I lived in Spain and never went to a Corrida de Toros? So, I found a few other friends who felt the same way and we decided to go to a Novelladas (a Corrida with younger toreros and younger bulls, basically like the "minor leagues," if you will). And I actually enjoyed it. If you know me, you know how I feel about blood and gore and what I have just said may have come as a shock. However, it was not as bloody as I thought it would be and I actually found it really interesting. And besides thinking of Ferdinand (a book from my childhood) through the whole thing, I had a little Hemmingway moment-- forgive me for being a Lit nerd.
The Corrida de Toros, practiced in Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France as well as in several Lain American countries, is a traditional spectacle where bulls are ritually killed in a public arena. Spain, above all, is known for tauromachy (bullfighting), and I was a little surprised to hear about the other countries that still practice the sport. Bullfighting is said to have been a tradition that sprang up in the colonies of the Roman Empire in Western Europe (i.e.: what is now Spain and Portugal) where many human-versus-animal events were held. There are also theories that it first cane to Spain by way of Emperor Claudius as a substitute for gladiatiors when he instituted a short-lived ban on gladiatorial combat. Bullfighting later spread from Spain to its Central and South American colonies, and in the 19th century to France.
The tradition of the Corrida de Toros as it is practiced today involves professional toreros (bull fighters) who execute various formal, even artistic, moves in order to maneuver, subdue, and eventually kill the bull. These maneuvers are performed with little protection and at very close range. Obviously, it is dangerous and can end in injury or death of the torero; but it is important to remember that he has chosen this profession (this is, in fact, his job) and is professionally trained. The subject of toros is one of strong debate in Spain becuase of the danger for the torero and because certain groups feel that it is a blood sport and useless killing or propogates animal cruelty. It is also important to remenber that every toro used in a Corrida is treated exceptionally well and that after the bull is killed, all of it is used for meat. In addition to being a delicacy of Spain, it is supposedly the best quality of meat there is becauseof how well it is fed and how well it is treated (although I have never tried it). Aficionados say that the Corrida de Toros is the ultimate union of art and courage. Bulls learn fast and their capacity to do so should never be underestimated. Indeed, a bullfight may be viewed as a race against time for the matador, who must display his bullfighting skills with style and with proper form before the animal learns what is going on thrusts its horns at something other than the cape.
Anyway, back to the actual bullfight.
There are two "rounds" and three toreros (bull fighters) who, in total, each kill two bulls. They each kill one in the first round and each kill another in the second round. Even though they are all from the same year (imagine "grade") of bull-fighting school, they start with the oldest then move to the youngest. During the Corrida the crowd alternates between clapping (which means good job, well done, we like it) and whistleing (which means bad job, poorly done, we don't like it). The crowd is critiquing the torero on his bravery, his performace, his style, and his artistic interpretation. The audience looks for the matador to display an appropriate level of style and courage and for the bull to display aggression and determination. For the matador, this means performing skillfully in front of the bull, often pushing the limits in how close he stands to the bull and turning his back on it to demonstrate his mastery over the animal. The skill with which he delivers the fatal blow is another major point to look for. A skillful matador will achieve it in one stroke that goes through the spinal chord of the bulla nd the aorta killing it instantly. Two tries is barely acceptable, while more than two is usually regarded as a bad job. The moment when the matador kills the bull is the most dangerous point of the entire fight, as it requires him to reach between the horns, head on, to deliver the blow. If a torero does really, really well, at the end of the fight the crowd will wave white pañuelos (kind of like handkercheifs) and one of the officials will cut off one of the ears (orejas) of the bull and give it to the torero as a trophy. Very, very rarely, the crowd may petition to spare the bull's life if it is exceptionally strong and brave. They did not give any orejas at the bull fight I went to, but I have seen it happen on TV. Carmen, my host mom, watches bull fights broadcasted live from Madrid. That's Spain for you.
One really interesting thing happened during the middle of the Corrida. The third torero had started to do his thing when the bull ran straight into one of the walls of the Plaza and tripped over it's horns that had gotten stuck in the ground. It must have injured it's neck or something in the fall, because after that it was really sluggish and was apparantly not fit for the fight. The crowd started whistling and whistling and all of a sudden everyone left the arena-- the picadores, banderilleros, and the toreros. The bull, deemed not suited to the fight, was left standing in the middle of the Plaza and after a few minutes about eight to ten steers (castrated bulls) entered the ring and roamed around the bull in the middle. The bull eventually calmed down and left teh ring with the steers. The steers are used to calm the bull down and get it out of the ring safely. The best thing about this is that I knew what was going on thanks to Ernest Hemmingway and his book The Sun Also Rises. And you thought a Literature Major was useless!
A parting thought:
Ernest Hemingway said of bullfighting in his 1932 non-fiction book Death in the Afternoon: "Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honour."
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