This sport is considered to be very national, and maybe that is the reason why it is so hard to understand and feel for the non-spaniards. Bullfighting has been organised in Portugal and Southern France as well, but only Spain is reputed to be the true home of Corrida and even now it is arousing interest and clamour all over the world.
Only in some places under the burning sun these fights do not happen, everywhere else in Spain they are called Fiesta Nacional – the national sport. Formany people all over the world Spain is primarily associated with bullfihting. The oldest Corrida spot in Spain is at the Ronda village in the south of Spain in Andalusia, and even though the fights do not take place there anymore it is possible to go there and even visit the museum.
These fights have a longstanding history. Already in ancient Rome the gladiators also fought against bulls. If we trust the historical facts then the first bullfight in Spain occurred in honour of king Alfons VIII coronation inapproximately 711. Thousands of this country’s people still gather in the arenas almost every weekend, for the bullfight season lasts from March till October, beginning at the first week of February with the festivities of Valdemorillo and Ajalvir near Madrid to celebrate the San Blas holiday. The most magnificent and popular fights or crème de la crème happen in Madrid and last for a month. They start in the middle of May when the town celebrations in honour of San Isidoro take place.
Initially the bullfights were only for the noblemen and the combatants faced the enraged animals sitting on a horse. Around 1724 alterations were made and the fights became a kind of “unorthodox dance with death” because the adversaries battled “eye for an eye”. Maybe the alterations came after the king Philip V interdiction for the noblemen to engage in this sport and everyone was allowed to defy the bull? Maybe the spectators needed more adrenaline and blood? The star of the team is the matador who ravishes the audience with his skills and courage. Imagine how dexterous a combatant has to be, how well he has to know the moves, strength and tactics of his adversary! Just one wrong or unskilful movement and… you can be seriously injured or “not even amongst the living any longer”.
In one 20 minute long face-off a succession of activities occur – the picadors circle the bull and try to wound it, the matador fights the bull trying to kill it unless the bull manages to injure him. Usually at the end of the show the bull must die – but the fighter must entertain the public with a dramaticand enthusiastic performance until the bull’s death. If the spectators highly appreciate the show the matador receives not only a thunderous applause but also one of the dead bull’s rings, tail or ear. A very good show can even end with a celebration in honour of the matador carrying him around the arena. La lidia is death as well as courage and show… Make no mistake the fights are bloody and merciless but ast he aficioonados say – “better a bull dies from the hand of a matador than in a slaughterhouse”.
