Bullfighting: Art or BloodFest?

Fran Glaria | Traveling Steps

I will never deny that at bullfights, an animal dies; but let me start with some history so I can try to explain what goes on during bullfighting.

Image | Leeroy Agency, Pixabay

We need to go back to Roman times. Spain (Iberia or Hispania in those times), like the rest of Europe, was part of the Roman Empire. We all know that in arenas throughout the empire, Romans pitted lions and tigers against Christians. Here in Spain, the Christians were forced to fight bulls. This is how bullfighting started.  

If you have travelled around Europe, you have probably realized that in the Mediterranean culture, the bull is one of the most respected animals. In ancient mythology, the bull is a holy animal. For example, we have the representation of the minotaur (half bull, half human) and we also have Zeus transforming himself into a bull to kidnap Europe. So, the bull has always been considered a superior creature when compared to humans.

So, as bullfighting is a Roman thing, somebody has to die. The creature who will die is the bull. But he is given a chance to survive, and that opportunity is given by the matador. People always believe that the matador is the bad guy in the arena, but that is far from the truth. His job is not to kill the animal, it is to save the animal’s life. His job is to risk his own life to save the bull. Are you confused yet?

Matadores
Image | memyselfandeye, Pixabay

The corrida (bullfight) has six bulls and three matadors. Each bullfighter will fight two bulls. This is not a prolonged fight, and the timing is strict. From the moment the bull enters the arena, he has to be out of there (dead or alive) within 25 minutes. The timing is controlled by the president of the corrida. You will find him/her wearing a dark suit, seated in a special place across the arena from where the bulls come out. Just as a Roman Emperor, the president is the one who decides the fate of the animal, NEVER the bullfighter.

When the fight starts, the bullfighter on his own, will welcome the bull with a big cape (capote) This one is fuchsia pink on one side and bright yellow on the other. This will be the beginning of a friendship. The bullfighter will learn all the weaknesses of the bull. Not to show them, but to hide them. His job is to make the animal appear as what he is already considered to be: a god—powerful, strong, fearless.

A parade of picadores
Image | Fran Glaría

Next, the bullfighter will be told to leave, and the picador will come into the arena. He is a man on top of a horse. The horse is protected with a vest made of bulletproof material. This will be the first time in his life that the bull will feel pain. He will be stabbed twice. Depending on how he reacts to the pain, it can work in the bull’s favor. 

The picador exits the arena and the banderillero enters. This type of torero (bullfighter) uses banderillas, three sets of two long sticks that are placed gracefully at the back of the bull. And once again, depending on the reaction of the bull, it will count as a point on his side. The banderillero’s job is quite difficult because you really need to get extremely close to the bull, and the bull is a quick learner. The third set is really risky.

A banderillero primed with his banderillas
Image | Manuel González Olaechea y Franco, Wikimedia Commons

Then the banderillero leaves and the matador returns on his own to the ring. This time, he will be wearing a red cape (muleta). This is the moment of truth. The matador will try with his dance to make the bull look like the perfect creature that it is. It is, to me, the most beautiful moment of the corrida. The two in the ring become one soul. A good matador will be the bull’s shadow, will be his breath, they unite. When this happens, the president will give his “thumbs up,” and the bull will be taken alive from the ring. The rest of that bull’s life will be great. Let’s face it: we want to have many, many baby bulls like him. So, he will spend the remainder of his life eating the best grass and meeting the most beautiful cows…

“The two in the ring become one soul.”
Image | Marcus Obal, Wikimedia Commons

On the other hand, if the bull and the matador don’t create this magic and perfection, the president will put his thumb down, and the expected fate of the bull will take place. The president will give the matador a moment with the bull, so he can say goodbye to his friend. This part is a very intimate and emotional moment. It has a lot of that 18th-century romanticism. The bullfighter will have a chance to apologize to the bull for pretending to help a god. He will comfort the bull with his dance as he says goodbye. Then the bullfighter will lead the bull to death. A very proud and fast death.

If you are wondering what we do with the meat, it is simple. We eat it. In fact, here in Pamplona the tradition is that three of the six bulls go to charity and the other three go to local butchers. The traditional bull stew recipe is similar to Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon, and it’s called “Bull Bourguignon.”   

I know it is difficult to understand, especially in today’s society where we deny death, but in the arena, we honor life. We do not celebrate the death of the animal, we celebrate his beauty and his strength as respect for his life.

Thanks for reading this post all the way through and at least for giving me a chance to try to explain our traditions. As a good friend of mine says “Bullfighting is like opera. When you see the first one, you either love it or hate it. The only difference is that with time, you can learn how to love opera, but you will never learn to love bullfighting” 

If you’d like to discover another take on bullfighting, join the Guide Collective Book Club and read our January 2021 book, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. This first of Hemingway’s many celebrated novels was inspired by his time in Pamplona (my home town) and the bullfighting culture he witnessed and experienced.