Silly men in tights or gallant heroes of the day? A festival of blood or a 'dramatic ballet dance with death'? Love it or hate it, bullfighting is an integral part of Spanish culture. Matadors, as famous as pop stars, perform to packed-out arenas and at least 24,000 bulls are killed each year in this thriving spectator sport.
Whatever your opinion, bullfighting is an extremely complicated ritual...of death. The corrida (bullfight) consists of three stages (tercios). In the first tercio, the picador, on horseback, lances the bull to weaken its neck muscles so that its head is lowered for the kill. The banderillero, who works with the matador, then stabs banderillas into the bull's back; these are meant to 'enliven' the weak and tired bull for the final tercio. The matador then has ten minutes to kill the bull and the work is done with a muleta, which is a piece of red flannel on a stick. A sword is actually the murder weapon and it is thrust between the bull's shoulder blades to sever its heart. If this fails to kill the bull, another sword that is crossed at its end is used to cut the spinal cord - this usually does the job.
If the job has been outstanding the matador is then treated with his 'trophies'. If the audience is pleased with the performance they will wave white hankies and the matador will receive an ear cut from the bull presented by the president of the bullfight. If the audience is very pleased the president will award two ears, and if the president himself is very, very pleased the lucky matador will receive two ears and a tail, and a lap of honour of the ring! The unlucky bull is either dragged out of the ring and sold as meat to waiting butchers, or, if the president is very, very pleased with the bull's performance, the bull will also receive a lap of honour of the ring; however, it won't be on the shoulders of the crowd like the matador but dragged by a team of horses or mules. It will then be sold by meat to butchers.
The fight is not only between the bull and the matador: bullfighting aficionados and non-aficionados are also locked into battle. Despite international campaigns, the corrida is unlikely to be outlawed - it brings in big pesetas and, unsurprisingly, Spain has not one single, national law protecting animals.
Whatever your opinion, bullfighting is an extremely complicated ritual...of death. The corrida (bullfight) consists of three stages (tercios). In the first tercio, the picador, on horseback, lances the bull to weaken its neck muscles so that its head is lowered for the kill. The banderillero, who works with the matador, then stabs banderillas into the bull's back; these are meant to 'enliven' the weak and tired bull for the final tercio. The matador then has ten minutes to kill the bull and the work is done with a muleta, which is a piece of red flannel on a stick. A sword is actually the murder weapon and it is thrust between the bull's shoulder blades to sever its heart. If this fails to kill the bull, another sword that is crossed at its end is used to cut the spinal cord - this usually does the job.