In case you are heading towards Portugal and are keen to see some real bullfighting you have to know that the only place to see it in the capital Lisbon is at Campo Pequeno, which is not very far from the city centre and the Lisbon apartment that you can rent. Bullfighting is a sport, which used to be very popular in the regions of Spain and Portugal. It involves professional performers, called Toreros or Matadors in Spanish and Toureiros in Portugal. These people make many skilful moves with the aim to present themselves as confident and graceful and also as masters over the bull. All these moves near the bull are carried out very close to the animal. In Spain, these fights used to finish with the death of the bull, killed by a sword. Bullfighting is a real spectacle, which started as a sport and a kind of art in Spain. This art of bullfighting requires many skills and athleticism and often the matadors are regarded as national celebrities.
Madrid bullfighting ring
Entrance_to_Botin_Madrid
While bullfighting originated in Spain, Portugal also adopted it as a sport and a kind of entertainment for the masses. Today, in Portugal the locals have accepted a new practice and this is the method of bloodless bullfighting, which of course differs from the main form of bullfighting. The corrida de touros in Portugal nowadays has three main events. The first event is called Cavaleiro and it involves a horseman dressed in a beautiful costume from 18th century. He fights the bull from horseback. The horses that participate are especially trained for these fights. The aim of the toreador is to stab the bull in the back with three of the four javelins. Those horseback bullfighters are usually members of the old aristocratic families. The other type is the Bandarilheiros, which are similar to the matadors in Spain except they do not carry swords. These men toy with the bull aided by the use of a red coat. The third type are the Forcados, which are groups of eight men, who go and challenge the bull in a direct way. They do not have weapons or any other protection. The first man performs what is called the bull catch, or provokes the animal. This front man is responsible for the head of the bull, then the rest of the men help him to surround the animal. These people come usually from the lower classes of the society and are part of certain amateur associations.
Since the bull is not killed in the ring the fight is considered a bloodless bullfight. When the three sets are done the bull is transported out of the arena alive, to be used for other events lateron such as rodeos etc. or to be released to pasture. The game of bullfighting is not accepted by all people in Portugal nowadays; however this sport remains part of the history and culture of the country.
A post written by Helena Alvito writing about Lisbon apartments and apartments in Paris.