So, what is this Spanish fascination with Bullfighting? Although it is always the subject of much debate with regard to animal cruelty, bullfighting is still a tremendously popular sport amongst the Spanish. The corrida (bullfight) is a spectacle with a long history. Those who support the bullfights say that the bull is better off dying at the hands of a matador than in the abattoir. The corrida is about many things - death, bravery, performance. No doubt, the fight is bloody and cruel. To witness it is not necessarily to understand it, but might give an insight into some of the thoughts and traditions behind it.

Contests of strength, skill and bravery between man and beast are no recent phenomenon. The ancient Etruscans liked a good bullfight, and the Romans caught on. However, the art of bullfighting really took off iin Spain in the mid-18th century. In the 1830s, Pedro Romero, the greatest torero (bullfighter) of the time, was appointed director of Escuela de Tauromaquia de Sevilla, the country's first bullfighter's college. It was around this time too that breeders succeeded in creating the first reliable breeds of fighting bull.


El Matador & La Cuadrilla
Traditionally, young men in search of fame and fortune have aspired to the ring. However, only champion matadors make good money, as the matador must rent or buy his outfit and equipment, pay for the right to fight the bull and also pay his team. If you have ever seen a major fight, you will have noticed this team is quite sizeable. Firstly, there are several junior bullfighters (peons) under the orders of the main fighter (the matador). The juniors come out to distract the bull with great capes and to manoeuvre it into the desired position.
Next come the picadors on horseback. Charged by the bull, which tries to eviscerate the horse, the picador shoves in his lance - an activity that weakens and angers the bull. (Animal-lovers may take small consolation from the fact that since the 19th century the horses at least have been protected by heavy padding.)
The peons then return to measure their courage against the charging bull. The picador is shortly followed by the banderilleros. At a given moment during the fight, one or two banderilleros will race towards the bull and attempt to plunge a pair of colourfully decorated banderilleros (short prods with harpoon- style ends) into the bull. This has the effect of spurring the animal into action - the matador will then execute more fancy manoeuvres.

La Corrida (Bullfight)
To summarise all that takes place in one day of a corrida is no easy task. In many cases, corridas are held over several days, or even weeks, and the whole fiesta is known as the feria. The bulls are transported from their farms to a location near the ring, often days in advance.
In many towns, the bulls are bought to another point in town from where they are let loose on the morning of the corrida to charge to the ring. The encierro, as it is known, in Pamplona was made famous by Earnest Hemminway, but score of towns across the country celebrate it. Barriers are set up along a route to the ring, and some people feel inclined to run with the bulls. It's a dangerous business and people get hurt, sometimes mortally.
When the bulls arrive, the teams, president and breeders get together to look over the animals and draw lots to see who is going to fight with which one.
The bullfight generally begins at 6 pm, hence the title of Hemingway's book on the subject, 'Death in the Afternoon'. As a rule, six toros and three matadors are on the day's card. If any bulls are considered not up to scratch, they are booed off and replacements brought on. Each fight takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
A good performance, followed by a clean kill, will have the crowd on its feet waving handkerchiefs in the air so as to appeal to the president to award the matador an ear of the animal. If the fight was exceptional, the matador might cut two ears off. On rare occasions he may be awarded the tail as well. What he does with them when he gets home is anyone's guess!

Ethics of the Fight
Is the bullfight 'right'? Passions are frequently inflamed by the subject. Many people feel ill at the sight of the kill. The preceding 10 or so minutes of torture are cruel - the animal frightened and in pain. Those in favour say, however, that these bulls have been bred for conflict and that their lives before this fateful day are better than those of farm animals. Toros bravos are treated like Kings. To other western cultures (and many Spaniards too) the bullfight is 'uncivilised', yet there is something about this direct confrontation with death that invites reflection. As an integral part of Spanish culture, it deserves to be experienced; there is nothing to say that anyone should also like it.