Among the many Spanish traditions, probably the most world-renowned and polemic one is bullfighting (‘corridas de toros’).
The "spectacle"
We are quite sure you've heard of it at least once, and you probably know what it is about: It takes place in a bullring, where a bullfighter or torero teases a brave bull with a cape for a while, then stabs the back of the animal with colored sharp sticks (banderillas) and different swords until the bull finally dies. We could make a much longer explanation here, but we'd probably find the information in the same places as you would, so if you want to read details about the whole spectacle, you can find them here:
-▲ (where you can also read about different styles of bullfighting in other countries) -▲
-Estocada: Video of the final part of the corrida, where the bull is killed.
Now go to Google and just type ‘bullfighting’ or ‘corridas de toros’. It’s hard to find really impartial information, isn’t it? Well, that's what we’d like to tell you about:
The polemic: for and against
Unlike a lot of people think, not all Spaniards like or agree with bullfighting. In fact, not even the majority of us do. It’s extremely hard to find reliable statistics about the percentage of people who are for and against this tradition, but as the years go by bullfighting has less and less supporters and more and more detractors.
So, while some Spaniards see bullfighting like this:
Others think of it this way:
As you can see, the first picture shows the bullfighter dressed in his traditional suit (called ‘traje de luces’) and teasing the bull. People who like bullfighting see this tradition as an elegant and exciting ART, a vital part of our culture that must be preserved, a beautiful spectacle where a man shows his courage by fighting a huge animal.
Nevertheless, the second picture shows a very different side of bullfighting: the bull has already been stabbed by the big sword carried by the torero, and it lies on the ground choking on its own blood and about to die. Besides, the other man in the picture is getting ready to cut the bull’s ears and tail, which will be given to the bullfighter as a trophy for his performance.
The protests
Obviously, people who are against this tradition want to ban it because it’s a cruel spectacle consisting in torturing and killing animals just for the enjoyment of the public. Defenders of animal rights organize different protests and demonstrations every year in order to stop bullfighting. Some examples:
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The sentence “Torture is not culture” is the main slogan against bullfighting. |
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This was a very popular and polemic protest: a lot of animal defenders laid on the ground in front of a bullring pretending to be dead and 'stabbed' with banderillas, just like bulls after a corrida, showing how cruel the spectacle is. |
Some ecologists even get into the arena in the middle of bullfights, making them stop.
This division between detractors and supporters has caused a lot of arguments, which sometimes lead to very agressive situations, and which have grown even more since Catalonia, a region of Spain, has banned the corridas de toros.
What do you think of this? Had you heard of bullfighting before? Have you ever seen a corrida de toros? We’d like to hear your opinion :)