The bull is a poignant symbol of Spain, and has been a significant part of Spanish culture since ancient times. Holding their origins in prehistoric bull worship, bullfighting and bull running are both world renowned and controversial, yet they remain an important aspect of Spanish culture and continue to attract flocks of tourists every year.

The bull is a poignant symbol of Spain, and has been a significant part of

Spanish culture since ancient times. Holding their origins in prehistoric bull worship, bullfighting and bull running are both world renowned and controversial, yet they remain an important aspect of Spanish culture and continue to attract flocks of tourists every year.

The practice of bullfighting, which also spread to many parts of Latin America with the Spanish conquest of the middle ages, involves a series of encounters between Matadors (trained bullfighters) and bulls that are specifically bred for fighting. These fights are highly ritualistic and events unfold according to a set sequence of phases, each of which is signalled by a trumpet blast.

The bullfight begins with the bull being released, whereupon the matador,

wearing traditional highly colourful clothing and carrying a cape and sword, challenges it with a series of ducks and dodges, provoking it to charge with his cape. It is a common misconception that the bulls are enraged by the redness of the cape, but they are in fact colour-blind and are instead instinctually responding to the rapid movement of a large object.

In the second phase of the bullfight, two picadors- horsemen armed with lances -confront the beast and attempt to wound it with a stab to the neck, while dodging the bull’s horns. This is perhaps as risky for the horses as it is the bull, though a protective padding is required by law to protect the animals from being gored by the bulls.

In the next stage, three banderilleros (footmen) enter the arena and attempt

to thrust their barbed sticks into the bull’s flank, in order to lower its head for the matador’s final attack.

Finally, the fight is settled between the matador and the bull alone, whereupon he re-enters the ring with a smaller cape and his sword. The wounded and weakened bull is then coerced and manoeuvred by the matador, until finally he plunges his sword between the animal’s shoulder blades, killing it by piercing the aorta or heart.

Matadors are highly respected in Spanish society, and the closer they can get to the bull unhurt while maintaining a calm disposition, the more applause they will receive. The bulls used in the fights are of a particular breed of fighting bull known as Toro Bravo. These animals have been bred for hundreds of years in the Iberian peninsula, and are naturally aggressive. Bulls used in fights are carefully selected for a mix of brute strength and low intelligence, and a number of other characteristics to provide the maximum entertainment value without overly putting the life of the matador at risk.

Bullfighting is condemned as a cruel bloodsport by many around the world, particularly by animal rights groups, but it is a tradition that has endured for many hundreds of years and though it’s popularity with the Spanish general public may be waning, it still has many loyal devotees, some of whom are petioning UNESCO to have it declared part of the national heritage. Because of pressure from animal welfare groups many bullfights have a dedicated vet who will decide when the bull has suffered enough. After the fight, meat from the bulls is sold to local restaurants.

If you wish to experience bullfighting from the ringside and judge for yourself, bullrings can be found in many major cities, though some, such as Barcelona, have outlawed the practice. Bullfights in Seville, where the tradition has a huge following, can be seen at Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza in the summer months, though not in July or August. In Madrid, fights can be seen at the Las Ventas every Sunday evening from May till October. There are also many bullrings on the Costa Blanca, in and around Alicante. Be warned though, bullfights are not for the faint of heart or the squeamish.

By its devotees, bullfighting is seen as a more of an art form than a sport, and its rituals are ingrained in the annals of Spanish history and culture. To some, the fight is not so much a struggle between man and animal, but an internal struggle within the matador’s psyche. Matadors who can maintain an inner calm in the face of a charging bull are lauded for the bravery and mettle.