Bullfight Seville

4/2/08

Yesterday we went to a bullfight in Seville. At 2:00 pm my family and I drove down to Seville to see a bullfight. We bought some goofy panama sombreros and took pictures as we waited anxiously for the fight to begin. Finally, the music started and everyone took his or her seat. The entire crowd hushed and stared at the gate as if in a trance! Then, the opening ceremony began - the matadors and their personal teams (cuadrillas), the picadors and the banderilleros all walked across the ring. All of them had on colorful, gleaming outfits. When the gate reopened, the picadors the matadors and the bandalleros left, but the cuadrillas stayed in the ring and practiced.

Suddenly, the music began to play again and the gate reopened. Out stepped the bull with a red ribbon (if anyone knows the meaning of the ribbon tell us on the message board) on its back. It was prepared to fight! The bandalleros that were already in the ring took turns fighting the bull. Once more, the music sounded and the picadors came out on horseback. They stood on opposite sides of the ring. The bull charged at one of the horses and as it did the man on the horse jabbed at the bull with a lance. He did this in order to weaken the bull's shoulders and neck. The music sounded again and the picadors left but the bandalleros came in. The bandalleros had short colorful spears used to weaken the bull even more. The bandalleros ran full speed at the bull and stabbed the bull with the spears! After a few seconds the bull had six spears in its back.

The bandalleros left the ring and in came the matador. The bull almost hit the matador once or twice because his cape was so close; I think this showed confidence from the fighter. The matador kept swinging the cape at the bull but the bull never hit it once. The cape was like the finish line for the bull, but it was always moving away. Finally, the matador pulled out his sword and we knew what was to happen. It was a sad scene; the bull continually charged at the matador even though it didn't know what was to come next...The matador stabbed the bull in the neck and killed it almost instantly. Next, a group of men with burros came out and attached the bull's dead body to the burros. The burros ran once around and exited the ring with the bull still behind them. This was the most horrifying scene of all!

During what was supposed to be the next fight some white cows came out and (we guess) seduced the bull to leave the ring. They did this because the bulls ribbon had pierced skin and the bull was already bleeding. In a a couple minutes a replacement bull came in.

If you think about it, the matador didn't do very much. The crew did most of the work weakening and hurting the bull… The matador just came in and finished the bull off. Also, the fight was like a boxing match except, it was ten against one. With all of those people helping the matador the bull did not have a chance. I for one do not like to watch bulls getting slaughtered but who am I to say what is right and what is wrong? Spain has had a tradition of bullfighting for hundreds of years. Now, I leave it up to you, after reading this please write your opinion of bullfighting on the message board. Does bullfighting show honor… what do you think? Check in later.

RS