Popular knowledge and culture of bullfighting
Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway once said, "Bullfighting is the only art that puts the artist under the threat of death." Indeed, Spanish bullfighting gives this competitive sport a sense of artistic beauty, which is the original form of art, but also the perfect combination of power and beauty.
Bullfighting has been Spain's national pastime for centuries, if not millennia. In Neolithic rock paintings found in the Altamira caves, one sees depictions that record men fighting bulls. According to history, Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor who once ruled Spain, was passionately devoted to bullfighting on horseback. Later, bullfighters evolved to stand on the ground and fight the bulls. At this point, the prototype of modern bullfighting was basically formed. In the six hundred years since then, this competitive sport has been considered a symbol of bravery and good fighting, and was quite popular among the Spanish nobility. In the mid-eighteenth century, during the reign of the Bourbon dynasty, the first king, Felipe V, abhorred the sport, believing that such cruelty, which could easily cause injury to members of the royal family, should be banned. Since then, this traditional aristocratic patent has spread from the palace to the people.
It has been said that "bullfighting will not disappear as long as the Spanish nation exists!" Nowadays, bullfighting is regarded as a noble art on this Iberian Peninsula, and the seven-month-long period starting from St. Joseph's Day on March 19 to the Spanish National Day on October 12 each year is known as the bullfighting season. The famous Fire Festival in Valencia in March and the Eucharistic Festival in Granada in June will carry out a series of grand bullfighting competitions, in addition, popularized to the people is familiar with the annual Running of the Bulls Festival.
About the bulls
Spanish bullfighting is a pure-blooded, wild animal, usually chosen from fierce North African bulls, which are bred by special training farms and used in matches after four to five years. But the Spanish bullfighting that the nature of the fighting is not trained by people, but its natural. In fact, the Spanish bullfighting bulls are color blind, so no matter what color you take the cloth to the still show, the bull is no feeling, only shaking objects to provoke their fighting spirit (before the matador about the red and yellow cloak in the hands of the red side used to provoke the bull, yellow side of the bull to make the bull quiet saying is not conclusively proved), so one day bullfighting bulls if the head toward a speeding train to crash, you should not be surprised. You shouldn't be surprised. Official bulls weigh between four and five hundred kilograms. Trainee bullfighters usually face bulls under three years old that weigh two or three hundred kilograms. The bulls that are not stabbed to death by the matador during the show will eventually be introduced into the bullring to be stabbed to death by someone else with a sword. In some places, however, such bulls are treated as sacred cows until they die of old age and are buried, and their meat is never eaten.
About bullfighters
In Spain and throughout the Hispanic world, bullfighters are regarded as brave and courageous men, and are revered and worshipped by their countrymen. The status of Spanish bullfighters is higher than the general social celebrities and show business personnel, this unique group of people with elegant, brave soul, they will be technical and physical strength, soft and brave perfect combination together. Bullfighting is not exclusively a male sport; women participated in the sport until the 1930s, when female bullfighters were banned. But in the last decade, many more women have taken up the challenge of being a brave man. In this year's Oscar-winning film for Best Screenplay, Speak to Her, Spanish actress Rosario Flores portrays Lydia, a strong and courageous matador. Although the Spanish government strictly forbids youngsters under the age of 16 to participate in bullfighting, the sport is wildly popular in those Spanish-speaking regions, and the currently famous Spanish teenage bullfighter Julián López Escobar, a gifted Spanish teenager, began his bullfighting career in Mexico at an early age. So it's no longer impossible to associate bullfighters with women and teenagers.
Bullfighters are categorized according to rank into official bullfighters and trainee bullfighters. Trainee bullfighters can only fight bulls under the age of three, and only full-fledged bullfighters are allowed to challenge ferocious bulls of 500 kilograms.
About the Colosseum
In many of Spain's most important cities, there are circular bullfighting arenas, which are magnificent buildings that can hold tens of thousands of people over a vast area. Layout and ancient Rome's Colosseum similar, generally open-air arena, surrounded by concrete steps of the audience. Sunny seats tickets are cheaper, while the sun does not reach the seats more expensive. In the center of the oval-shaped arena is the bullfighting ring, which is covered with a thin, even layer of yellow sand, and where matadors and bulls fight for their lives. The bullfighting ring is surrounded by a 2-meter-high thick wooden wall fence and a passageway that separates it from the audience. On all sides, there are gates that can be opened and closed at any time to control the entry and exit of humans and animals. There is a wider gap between the door and the wall, when the bullfighting scene can not be controlled by people, bullfighters can temporarily hide in here to avoid the bull's front to avoid unnecessary injuries. Directly opposite the podium and to the left of the audience at the very top, there is a brass band, who direct and regulate the entire bullfighting program.
Opening Ceremony and Personnel
The usual bullfighting show consists of an entrance ceremony and three fights. The entrance ceremony is flashy and flashy. Trumpet blowing, various costumes of bullfighters then appeared, there are sixteenth-century classical costume of mounted police, long and short zhang gunman, flower dart player and many roles, *** about twenty people, of course, the most eye-catching is the main bullfighter dressed in the most gorgeous. After the audience gave a warm applause, they all retreated back to the resting place outside the fence to wait for their respective appearance slots. The referee (known as the chairman in bullfighting shows) is usually a prominent member of the local community.
The main bullfighter stabbing the bull is limited in time and frequency. If the bull is not stabbed or killed in more than twenty-five minutes or in three attempts, he will be notified by the chairman to terminate the show.
While the flower dart player can make up for a double miss with a dart stab. If a long dart player misses and is toppled by the bull, he can only be replaced by a substitute long dart player or he himself can get on his horse and stab again.
The bullfighter's equipment
The costumes of the Spanish bullfighters are still the same as those of their predecessors in the 16th century. The main matador generally choose red-based clothing, above the gold trim and some gold ornaments, so that when it does the action in the sunshine looks shiny and glittering. In the sixteenth century, it was customary to wear their hair coiffed, so the matadors wore headdresses. This tradition has continued to this day, and gradually the headdress has become a form of adornment, and the fact that the main matador is the only one in the arena who wears one has evolved into a status symbol for the main matador. Although nowadays matadors have short hair, but we can still see a lot of people on the head of the black symbolic hair bun.
In addition, the red cloth and the cape are two very important tools. The red cloth is the patent of the main bullfighter, in fact, the so-called red cloth is red on one side and yellow on the other, which happens to be the same color as the Spanish flag. The three matador's assistants, on the other hand, hold the capes, which differ from the red cloth in that the red side is replaced by pink.
Of course, the most important thing is the sharp tools used to stab the bull. A full set of bullfighter's tools includes a spear, six flower darts, four shortswords not to be confused with one another, and a dagger. Among them, the short sword is the most challenging and ornamental. The main bullfighter chooses different tools for different stages of the show: the initial stage is usually a sword without a curved head, supported by a red cloth to lure the bull, and in the final stabbing stage, a short sword with a curved head is unveiled, and the bullfighter stabs it into the heart of the bull's back. In addition, the main matador is equipped with a cross-headed sword, which is used to stab the bull's central nervous system.
Straight from the action
After the slightly noisy opening ceremony comes the excitement of the show. At this point the arena suddenly becomes silent and the audience waits with bated breath for the bull to appear. When a huge figure weighing four or five hundred kilograms was released from the fence, it began to run wildly in the arena, dusty, with two curved horns as its weapon of death. Several pieces of brightly colored ribbon were stuck on the bull's backbone, also marking the spot where the man attacked it. It seems to look a bit panicked, suddenly facing the attention of tens of thousands of people makes it slightly uncomfortable, after running around a few times, it stops alone, and there will be a gasp of surprise among the spectators. Indeed, the atmosphere of the arena was lifted to a new level in the face of such a behemoth.
After the savage bull takes the stage, it is the turn of the revered matador to make his appearance. In the beginning stage, it is the turn of many bullfighters to strike, and the main bullfighter remains the protagonist of the arena and the dominator of the whole atmosphere. In addition to some regular moves, he also uses some adventurous and exciting methods. For example, kneeling on both knees, holding a red cloth and letting the bull brush against him, every time such a scene appeared in the arena, it would cause a high-decibel gasp of surprise, while at the same time, the main matador's assistants took turns to tease the bull with their capes, aiming at depleting the bull's strength, and after more than ten minutes of flying all over the arena, the big guy was tired and out of breath.
Subsequently, the field sounded the horn, two holding a spear, helmeted and armored knights entered, the main matador actively running, the bull's running route to the side of the spearman, when the bull "bait" to the spearman pounced on the past, the spearman to use the force of the impulse of the spear will be stabbed to the back of the bull, but he is using a wide-bladed spear, and stabbed will be slightly upward to kill, so as not to make the bull killed, after some of this! After this fight, blood stained the sand, the bull's physical strength is almost exhausted!
This time the game has become a bullfighter performance stage, the bull has been full of wounds, the impetus is not as strong as before, this seems to be some of the flavor of the bull's danger, but the Spaniards appreciate is the bullfighter's athletic posture and martial arts, they hold a sword in one hand pointing forward, one hand to the waist of the cloth, in the process of the advance of the hand of the red cloth, when the eyes of the bull stagnant bulls rushed to the bullfighters, the matador A sprint stop and turn around, raised the red cloth under the bull is empty. At this point, the bullfighter has a strong desire to perform, in addition to showing the beauty of their own form, not forgetting to raise the difficulty of the action to the maximum limit.
After a few rounds, the bull is already at the end of the line, the matador saw the time is ripe, it is from the hands of the staff to return to a slightly shorter but sharper sword, one hand to lift the wrist to see the sword, aiming at the bull, one hand, with a red cloth to tease the bull forward, and then the matador's final thrust, suddenly, blood flowed, the bull staggered a few steps to the ground should be sound. This fatal blow must be accurately hit the bull between the shoulder blades about 3 inches wide, such as the location of this stab a little deviation, touching the bones of the bull, or the depth of the heart, the bull will not die, then the matador will have to use a short knife to stab the bull's neck. When the bull collapses, the matador will run forward and kill the bull before it suffers.
The victor in the arena is cheered by the people. If the spectators are satisfied with the performance of the bullfighter, they will wave their handkerchiefs vigorously and give the bull's ear to the bullfighting hero in accordance with the ancient rituals. Battle death "sand" of the brave bullfighter, in the sound of the majestic horn, was inserted with a red flag hung with bells of the carriage quickly into the field dragged out of the field. A life ended ...... Blood stains in the sand painted a never-to-be-forgotten, stirring memory.
Eternal beauty
Exquisite and elegant artistic modeling, wild and unruly display of power. The two are both a pair of contradictions and so perfectly combined. Exquisite and elegant, let people experience the modern intelligence and wisdom. Wild and uninhibited, adhering to the valor and swagger of the Spanish ancestors. It is the crystallization of wisdom, courage, skill and will. Bullfighting gives mankind a strong body, exquisite skills, the spirit of adventure, and the will of steel! In the whole process of bullfighting, all the time does not reflect the white-hot, fair competition, do not respect seniority. In the bullfighter's elegant movements, in his cold and proud eyes, revealing the primitive instinct of sports blood side.
The competition of bullfighting is cruel. Its bloody cruelty has attracted a lot of controversy. It gives people high honor, accompanied by more times to pay the pain, and even life. It can make a good bullfighter become a million people admire the rich, but also has the right to make an originally able-bodied people lose the ability to take care of themselves, and there are people like Jose Lito died in the bullfighting ring! The true meaning of bullfighting is built in the souls of those who gave their lives for the cause, and there are countless matadors' bloodstains on the bloody paths trodden by the hoofprints of the bulls.
The Spaniards say, "Behind every good bullfighter who becomes a multimillionaire, there are hundreds of bullfighters who fall on the road to the top." Matadors need to be relentless and fight every moment. It's not just the bulls they have to beat, it's themselves. It is not only the opportunity to fight that is seized in the fleeting moments, but also the moment of destiny. In this moment, only a few succeed, but the very pursuit is a success of greater significance!
Eventually we still say, the charm of bullfighting, in that it is a kind of adventure sports, the process is full of thrills and gore and beautiful sublime, the bullfighter and the bulls between the entanglement, worthy of a magnificent dance of art.