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Top 10 Top 10 Aspects of Bullfighting
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1. History
The bullfight may have roots in primordial religions involving bull sacrifice.
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2. Scheduling
There are about 500 bullfights each year in Spain, usually as part of a festival.
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3. The Fight
Usually three groups fight two bulls each. Each of the six confrontations is a drama in several acts, called tercios .
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4. Cast of Characters
The fight (corrida ) begins with a procession of all the bullfighters.
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5. Picadores
In the first tercio the matador taunts the bull with a red cape. The picadors goad the bull on horseback with steel-pointed lances to weaken the animal’s powerful drive.
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6. Banderilleros
Next the banderilleros enter on foot, sticking pairs of spikes in his back, to provoke the bull further into a frenzy.
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7. Matador
In the final tercio the matador makes passes with the muleta cape, bringing the fight to its climax.
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8. The Kill
This ideally amounts to a quick thrust of the sword, straight to the heart.
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9. Post Mortem
Matadors are idolized in Spain, and the crowd jeers when his job is done and the bull’s corpse is dragged away.
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10. Celebration
At the end of the fight, a band plays, roses are tossed, hankies are waved, and the matador may be carried out on his men’s shoulders.
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