My 1st Bullfight!

On Sunday, March 22, I went to my first bullfight. It started at 4 p.m. I went with my host sister, her father, and her friend. We were in the second row and had a perfect view of the circular arena. The arena had a sandy floor that was raked perfectly, like they do at baseball games. There were people selling popcorn other food and drinks just like at sporting events. There was a live band that played during the entire bullfight. An older heavier man sat in the front of the arena and he played the trumpet until his face turned red when ever the bull entered or something big happened.

Before the actual bullfight started, all the men who had jobs in the bullfight came out into the arena. First came the toureiros. Their job is to distract the bull by waving bright pink flags (similar to pictures of Spanish bullfights with the red flag). They had brightly colored elaborate sequined tight pants with jackets and bright pink tights. The forcados, the bull catchers, came out next. After the bull is stabbed many times with brightly decorated spears, they catch the bull. They wore white shirts, a red band around their waist, and flowered jackets with pants. Two men came out carrying long lances next. They help to get the bull out of the arena after the bullfight. Finally, out came three men on horseback, the cavaleiros. They were dressed in elaborate outfits as well and were on gorgeous horses. The horses did fancy steps and one could balance on its back two legs. After greeting the crowd, the arena emptied except for one of the cavaleiros and a few toureiros. The door on the side of the arena opened and the first bull came charging out. Before each bull entered, they announced where it came from, how old it was, and how much it weighed. All the bulls were all over 500 kilograms and jet black. In a Portuguese bullfight there are six bulls. The first bull came charging out and looked stunned to be surrounded by all the people. It blinked then charged at a pink flag one of the toureiros was waving. Right before the bull ran into the flag, the toureiro moved to the side and the bull had to stop and change directions. After doing that a few times, the cavaleiro approached with the first spear. The spears are wood and they are covered with shiny colored material (like what tinsel is made from). On the end is a metal arrow, shaped like an arrowhead, about an inch to an inch and a half long. The first two spears that they put in the bull are smaller, about a foot long. The cavaleiro’s tease the bull at first then they take the spear from the end so it hangs perpendicular to the ground. They approach the bull and when they have a good angle they pull up a little then stick it in the bulls back, right behind the shoulders. The crowd erupted in cheers every time a spear found its mark. The cavaleiro paraded around the arena, while the toureio’s were distracting the bull. The cavaleiro got another small spear and after putting that in the bull they used longer spears, about two feet long. The put 4-6 longer spears in the bull. The cavaleiros sometimes changed horses in the middle of the bullfight. They would exit the arena, and then come back on a different horse. They train many horses incase one gets sick or hurt. Each horse is good at different things so they pick the right horse for the bull. After stabbing the bull they lead the bull around in a tight circle so it can’t catch them. The bulls didn’t really show recognition they were being stabbed when the spears impacted them. They just continued to chase the horse. When the cavaleiro was finished, the bull had blood running from the places the spears had penetrated. The cavaleiro left the arena and the forcados jumped over the concrete wall surrounding the arena at the same time. The wall is low enough to jump over, the toureio’s jumped over it when the bull charged them, but too tall for the bull to get over. The lead forcado put on a green hat and stood in the middle of the arena facing the bull. There is a man who chooses which forcado should be in the very front. They choose based on the personality of the bull and then match it to a personality of one of the forcados. The rest of the forcados stand in a straight line behind the leader. The lead forcado shouts and approaches the bull. When the bull charges he grabs the horns and tries to hang on. Every bull kept running and smashed into the group of forcados. The men scramble to hold onto the bull and one man grabs the tail of the bull. When the bull is subdued they all let go, except for the man holding the tail. He holds on as the bull turns in a circle trying to get the man, until it’s dizzy. Then he lets go and walks away. The forcados clear the arena and a group of 5-6 cows is let into the arena. The bull won’t go on it’s own out of the arena so they use to the cows so it will follow them out. After the bull exits, the cavaleiro and the lead forcado come back out in the arena. They take a “victory lap” around the arena. Everyone cheers and people throw their hats or jackets to the arena as they pass. The forcado and cavaleiro pick them up and throw them back to the crowd. Some people throw presents or flowers, which they keep. Then a new cavaleiro would enter, and a new bull would be released. After the first three bulls, there was a short intermission. It took an hour and a half for the first three bulls to go.

The Portuguese bullfights are different from the Spanish bullfights. In Spanish bullfights there are no forcados or cavaleiros. Everything is done on foot. At the end of a Spanish bullfight they take a long sword and stab the bull in the heart to kill it, a very dramatic end. People have asked, “They don’t kill the bulls in Portugal right?” Well, no, but yes. They don’t kill the bull at the bullfight, but the next day they are slaughtered for meat. If the bulls are very brave, meaning very aggressive, there is a chance that they can be “saved”. If they are saved they go back to the fields and they are used to breed more aggressive bulls. Meaning, they get all the women and food they want for the rest of their lives. But only 5% of bulls are actually saved.

For the first week of Easter vacation, I will be traveling to Galeana (You can look it up on Google maps. It’s on the border with Spain and is in southern Portugal). The father raises bulls for bullfighting so that will be very interesting to see. Only two more days of school left! Some teachers have given up on teaching this last week. Tomorrow in physical education we just have to go to be marked as “present” then we can leave. Two week vacation here I come!