The Bullfighting Tradition

Last weekend I went to the Carnaval del Toro in Cuidad Rodrigo, a small town about an hour from Salamanca. This town is famous for using bulls in its carnival celebrations. We weren´t disappointed!

The festivities began with the toll of a bell which signaled that the encierros were about to begin. During these encierros bulls would run through the streets. Whilst many spectators stood in safety behind the large metal fences some Spaniards remained in the streets ready to face the bull and run with it!

They danced around and waved flags in front of the bull to provoke it. When the bull started to run towards them they too would start to run to escape the bull,  climbing over the fence with the rest of the spectators and into safety! The atmosphere was very exciting. Although I had no wish to enter the streets and experience the fear first hand, we could all sense the rage of the bull even from the safe side of the fence.

Later in the day there was a bullfight, which was held in the Plaza Mayor. Although I didn´t go and see the bullfight my friends who did found it an interesting experience!

There were four bullfights during the afternoon, with each bull being fought by a different torero. The bulls were brought in by men on horseback who would then spear them in the back to make them less dangerous. The spectacle then begun as the torero attempted to outsmart the bull until he was able to kill it. In the corridas in Cuidad Rodrigo, the bulls ears were cut off at the end of the fight and thrown into the crowd!

Although bullfighting is a famous Spanish tradition it is not free from controversy. Those who support it argue it is an art form, whilst its detractors emphasize it to be a blood sport. The sport is not without its dangers. In May 2010 a bullfighter in Madrid had his chin pierced by a bulls horn.

What´s more is that it has now been banned in some regions of Spain. It was banned in the Canary Islands in 1991 and will be illegal in Catalonia from 2012. It is also no longer shown live on the state controlled TV channels.

Despite this the Carnaval del Toro celebrations show that bullfighting, whilst not for the faint hearted, is still a strong part of Spanish culture!