Intro
The thing for which Spain is the most famous in the whole world is Bullfighting. Many of you might have seen it on the television being featured in movies and other programmes. This art of fighting bulls might be a gory sport for somebody but it is festive, religious and traditional for the Spaniards. Bullfighting is popularly known as Corrida De toros in Spain.
Origin and History
Bullfighting or Corrida De Toros is one of the most polemical customs of Spain. The Fiesta which is the most popular festival of Spain cannot boast about itself if you remove the Bullfighting out of it. Bullfighting is done against the Toro Bravo, a species of bulls which is conserved only in Spain. These bulls are the bravest in the whole world and they belong to an archaical race. Before these bulls were spread over a lot of parts of the world. Many of the world’s most primitive civilizations honored and respected them; the bullcultus of the Greek island Creta is quite famous in this regard. It can also be traced from the bible that these bulls were sacrificed in the honor of the divine justice. While this history goes back to the Iberians regarding bullfighting, it was the Romans and the Greeks that converted into a spectacular art. During the middle ages it was enjoyed by the aristocrats on horses. However, in the 18th century this practice was totally abandoned and then the poorer population invented the bullfighting which was done on foot. Francisco Romero played a key role in this development and laid the rules. For some people bullfighting might just be an art or a sport, but in reality it’s an open challenge of the man against the beast.
What is Corrida?
Corrida means a Bullfight. A Corrida begins with the Paseillo, where whosoever is involved in the bullfight enters the ring and presents themselves to the public. Two persons known as the Alguacilillos come on horse’s backs and direct themselves to the presidency. Then they symbolically ask for the keys to the doors behind which the bulls are present. As soon as the door is opened and the first bull enters, the game starts. The spectacle consists of three parts known as Tercios, which are separated by horn-signals. In the first Tercio, a Capote (a large rag of purple and yellow color) is used by the bullfighter. Afetr this, two Picadores come on horses backs and armed with a kind of lance, this is how the game further advances. The second part is known as La suerta de Banderillas, in which three banderilleros aim to stick two banderillas into the bulls back which attacks. In the final, which is known as “Suerta Suprema”, the bullfighter uses a small red rag which is known as the muleta. In this last part of the spectacle, he has to show off his mastery to dominate the attacking bull and at the same time display an artistical connection between himself and the beast. Finally the game ends when he kills the bull with his swords.
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