Bullfight

We were going to Andalucia the this past weekend so the weekend before was our last chance to see a bullfight before the season ended. We saw the last one on TV and it was pretty different: ours was a novice bullfight and the stadium was only half full (they fill one side of it so the pictures look like it's empty but it's not--half of the stadium is about 10,000 people, I think) and the final was booked and the best bullfighters were there. Ours was also way more gruesome. Three people got hit/bucked/whatever you want to call it by the bull (about 1000-1500 lbs.) and that wasn't too pretty. Also, the bullfighters aren't experienced enough to do a quick kill (severing the spinal chord in the first blow with the sword) so it wasn't pretty to watch in the end.

Here's how it works. There are four or five bulls. Each comes out, unharmed, and chases around banderillos (guys that look like matadors but with pink capes instead of red and don't have swords), then the picador comes out (guy on a armored, blindfolded (so it doesn't freak out) horse with a spear). The bull goes after the picador and gets stabbed in back. Then, the banderillos (easily the most dangerous job because they face the bulls at almost full strength) stab the bull with six little harpoons to weaken it more. Only then does the matador come out, after the bull has bled all over the place. He messes around with the bull a little more impressively than the banderillos with his cape and then stabs the bull in the spine, where upon the bull loses it's ability to stand. Then there's a person whose job it is to actually kill the bull by stabbing in the back of the head with a dagger after it's paralyzed. It's pretty disgusting. At times, beautiful, and really, really interesting (the whole thing is about tradition and show), but utterly disgusting. The first two bulls weren't that bad (there were four in total), but the second two were killed right next to us and the end of the whole ritual with the spinal chord and the dagger and everything is just awful.

Picture are below for those who want to see them. Everyone else just scroll past. I wanted to give it a proper representation here but I still spared the really gross photos.

Spanish Public Enemy #1.
The first bull wasn't aggressive enough so they sent him back in.
Banderillos.


Banderillo falls and plays dead so the bull doesn't gore him. The other banderillos come and distract the bull so he can get up.


Costumes.

Picador gets the first strike but this bull goes crazy on that horse so the banderillos try to distract again.

Crazily dangerous harpooning by the banderillo.






Now that he's all bloodied up, the matador comes out (note: red cape).
He gets hit too.
Gets up...
and finishes it...

another bull (note the six festive harpoons coming out of its back)

the last bull was a beast.

more harpoons.

So, yeah, not such a cute, festive event. I can see why the animal rights people are up in arms. I wouldn't really want to go to another (certainly not in the front row again) but I'm glad I went.