EUROPEAN BULLFIGHTING

by JENNIFER POLK
Age 17
Report for her English Class at Linden High School
Linden, California

"BEM TORERO!" were the strange words that came out of so many unfamiliar mouths. What were they saying? As I trudged up the half eaten termitted floor, I noticed the crowd I was entering was all foreign. How strange I thought to myself, they were all speaking a language I couldn't understand. When I sat down and peered out into the dust filled air I noticed a man dressed in an authentic costume, on a horse, dancing around. Then all of a sudden the crowd got quiet and out he came! This ferocious beastly looking thing with horns that pertruded from his head like devil horns. He immediately charged with all his force at the beautifully decorated horse. What was going on? The man on the horses back stabbed the creature with a long wooden stick almost like a harpoon. How could someone be so cruel to such an animal? What were the reasons behind this event? What did all of it mean?

And so I began my quest, to find out what in fact all of this meant. In times before the rising of Christ a new technique for man evolved. In the Iberian Peninsula battles that took place in the early developing years of Portugal dealt with the same skills used against the enemy as on the bull. Bulls were first hunted as a wild animal, just like wild buffaloes were in America. The people would hunt the bulls using garrochas (lances), they would ride on horse back, but they wouldn't ride on just any horse. The Portuguese people found out new tactics to win many battles. They found that their enemies would ride on heavy horses that weren't able to move very fast. The people started a new breed of horses called The Iberian Horses. Made with the Arabian and the Primitive Stock. They were smaller but very light and quick like a thunder bolt. The Portuguese people fought with their mind - and with excellence. Like the bulls, the people fought their enemy side to side. They would approach them straight on and make a quick side to side move to boggle the enemies mind. Many Kings and Royalty fought in these gruesome fights. They dressed in outfits fit for a King. Many of these concepts carried on into the later years of Bullfighting in Spain and Portugal.

Although many people do not realize it, there are many differences between the Portuguese Bullfighting and the Spanish Bullfighting. In Spain, the Bullfighter on horseback or "Rejoneador" fights the bull in circles, the bull always comes to the horse from behind, not putting the horseman in real danger. Besides the 4 inch razors that are used that keeps the bull with a controlled speed. In Portugal, the Bullfighter on horseback is called the "Cavaleiro". "I love Bullfighting because it is in my heart. Trust is the number one idea. Without the trust of your horse, you have nothing" says Joao SerraCoelho of Portugal. Unlike the Spanish, the Portuguese want a horse that is quick to be able to make fast moves such as a soccer player would in a game. The Portuguese use a Lusitano and Arabian cross to get the best quality of horse for Bullfighting. The Portuguese have a law that was enforced by their Queen stating that no man or woman can kill a bull. If by chance a bull is killed, the Cavaleiro will get put into jail.

The Portuguese believe that fighting the bull fresh is the only way to fight. When the bull enters the ring, the Cavaleiro is waiting inside for him. The horse is decorated with silver and the finest leathers. The stirrups are protected with shimmering silver so the feet of the Cavaleiro are protected from the bulls horns. The Portuguese banderillas only have one razor a half inch long, so that the bull is still able to move after being stabbed. In the Portuguese Bullfighting the Cavaleiro wants to go straight at the bull, then making the horses neck go one way making it seem like a fake - and then going the other way making a quick dribble and stabbing the bull with the banderilla. After this is performed a few times, the bull will get dazed and the Cavaleiro will go one more time, but not killing him. Next the Cavaleiro is finished, and so he will exit the arena and then the Bullgrabbers come in. The Bullgrabbers are only a Portuguese tradition. They enter the arena and first line up in a straight line. Then, the Bullgrabber will lunge at the bull grabbing its horns, then one by one the rest will charge at the bull grabbing it. The last person in the line will maneuver around the bull to his tail, from there he will grab it and start pulling it - getting it spun like a tea cup. This tradition started in the early years of Bullfighting. In Lisbon, there were no walls to keep the bull inside, so after the bull was fought, he had to be caught and taken out of the area (since the Queen demanded no killing of the bulls). The Portuguese lined up and showed their bravery.

Like any other sport, there are different divisions you can be in. Bullfighting is made up of three divisions: Amateur, Professional B, and Professional A. The Amateur level will receive very little money and will fight wild cows or young bulls, usually the toughest bulls because the Professional A's don't want to fight them. In order to be a Professional B, you have to have at least two horses eligible to fight one bull. To become Professional A you have to have at least three horses per bull, and seven or eight together. You choose when you become a Professional A. When you become a Professional A, another Professional called your "God Father" gives you the first banderilla of the night, just as if you were to get Knighted by a King.

While some may disagree with the stabbing of an animal, thinking it is cruel and unnecessary, there is a lot of symbolism and meaning to this cultural event.