What is bullfighting

Therefore normally they are normally the cheapest. Different prices of the tickets are determined by distance to the ruedo and their sun or shade location.

Las puertas the gates Every bullring has at least four gates. The puerta grande Main Gate is the one trough which successful bullfighters will leave the ring carried on the shoulders of a fan. The puerta de toriles is the access for the bulls to enter the ring while the puerta de arrastre Dragging Gate is the one trough which the carcass leaves the ruedo dragged by the mulillas mules.

White circle lines They divide the ruedo in three parts: tablas, tercios and medios see picture. They are drawn with lime and show the recommended distances for the matadors to perform during the three stages of the lidia fight : varas, banderillas and muletas y estoque.

Its width should range between 1. The corrida is divided in three tercios stages and two suertes parts : capote —when the bullfighter uses the capote cape - and muleta a scarlet cloth folded over a wooden stick. The first tercio is called varas Pikes , the second banderillas Little Harpoons and the third muerte Death.

After the second tercio, the matador will switch from the suerte de capote to the suerte de muleta. The beginning time of the corrida will be determined by the intensity of sunlight. In Spain normally corridas begin at 5 pm in March and since then they are systematically postponed until 7 pm, which is the normal beginning time in August. In autumn, they usually begin at 6 pm. The bullring will confirm the time of each show two weeks before.

The duration of a normal corrida ranges from one hour and a half to two hours and a half. Exceptionally it can last more than that if the number of sobreros extra bulls is unusually large. The average length of a faena work with one bull is around 20 minutes.

The seats cannot be accessed or left during the faena. Spectators must wait until the break time. Is the beginning of the corrida. Bullfighters, their troupes and all people who work in the bullfight march from the puerta de cuadrillas Gate of the Troupes to the palco presidencial presidential balcony. The order is very strict. Once the parade is finished, the participants wave their hands at the president, wait one minute in silence and then wave at the audience.

Monosabios Assistants They help the picador the man on a horse armed with a pike when he is fighting the bull.

Mulilleros Muleteers Helped by three mules, they drag the carcass of the bull out of the bullring after the faena. Areneros Sandmen They take care of the sand of the ruedo, keeping it in a good condition for the lidia fight.

Picadors Riders armed with a pike Two of them work for each matador. Subalternos Secondary Bullfighters Those working for the oldest matador occupy the first row, then come those working for the second oldest and finally those working for the youngest. Matadores Bullfighters They occupy the first row in the parade. The oldest one is located on the left side and the youngest in the middle. Alguacilillos Sheriffs They drive the parade to the presidential balcony and after that they spin around the ruedo on their horses to verify that everything is prepared for the bullfight to begin.

El torero or matador Bullfighter , also known in Spanish as diestro right handed, skilled or espada sword holder. He is in charge of conducting the lidia fight with the capote cape , bringing the bull to the horse of the picador, perform artistic passes with the muleta scarlet cloth and killing the bull.

Occasionally he can harpoon the bull using the banderillas, even though that is not mandatory. Matadors begin their learning fighting erales two-year-old bulls at an early age. If they are successful, two years later they would begin to fight novillos three-year-old bulls with an average weight of kilos.

Finally, the time of their alternativa debut will arrive and they will begin to kill adult bulls. La montera It is a very sophisticated sort of hat. Good ones resemble a wig which perfectly adapts to the head of the bullfighter. Using a montera implies following lots of rules, protocol and superstition.

During the suerte de capote, the matador would be wearing it. However, when he begins to use the muleta he takes the montera with his hand, waves at the audience and throws it to the center of the bullring. The hat will remain there until the end of the faena. Many bullfighters are superstitious and consider that if the montera falls upside down, that will bring them bad luck. For this reason some of them would carefully place it in the right way on the sand instead of throwing it.

Also, a matador would never leave the montera on his bed. That also brings bad luck! Coleta Artificial ponytail which helps the matador to keep the montera on his head.

El traje de luces The costume of the matador Literally, the lighting dress, called like that because it is covered with sequins in order to reflect the light. It is woven with silk. All the ornaments in the costume of the matador will be golden.

Those on the dress of the subalternos secondary bullfighters will be silver. It is either black or matching the sash. Chaquetilla Jacket It is decorated with different kinds of ornaments, like the alamares or the machos and also woven with golden or silver thread.

It is very stiff. Below the armpits, two holes allow the arms of the matador to move the arms easily.

Taleguilla: A mixture of shorts and trousers which covers the bullfighter from his navel to below his knees. This garment is held with suspenders and tied around the calf of the bullfighter with the machos. A single mounted rider faces the bull in a small ring alone. The objective is not to kill the bull but rather to demonstrate the level of training demonstrated by the horse. The bull is still stabbed by darts to make him more aggressive so he will charge horse and rider.

Running with the Bulls Takes place in Pamplona, Spain. The bulls run through the streets of Pamplona to the bull ring while a frenzied crowd tries to run one step ahead of the bull. Usually, there is a fence separating the spectators from the bulls. Sometimes fireworks are attached to the horns as well. Definition of bullfight. First Known Use of bullfight , in the meaning defined above. Learn More About bullfight. Time Traveler for bullfight The first known use of bullfight was in See more words from the same year.

Statistics for bullfight Look-up Popularity. Style: MLA. English Language Learners Definition of bullfight. Kids Definition of bullfight. In many Spanish towns , they free heifers or small bulls for the attendants to have fun while playing around. This change of mentality has been slowly transferred to the laws. Nowadays, these celebrations are regulated in a different way in each region. Bullfights are forbidden by law in the Canary Islands and Catalonia. However, the last one keeps on celebrating other festivities with bulls.

In Galicia and most of the Balearic Islands , bullfights are legal, but the practice is banned in some places. In the rest of Spain, bullfights are completely legal. Yet, they do not have the same consideration everywhere. Generally speaking, the northern regions do not have such a rooted bullfighting tradition as the ones in the center or the south of the country.

Login Register. It is certainly one of the best-known and at the same time most controversial popular Spanish customs. A very controversial tradition Bulls and the customs related to these animals are, undoubtedly, one of the most popular elements of the Spanish culture at an international level.