200328

Net gepost op flickr.com onder de titel 'Museum the Alvazaal: the guide 5' en met het volgende bijschrift:

"Bullfighting is very old. It stems from the Middle Ages. Charles V already made his name by killing a steer.

Actually it was a game fort he nobility like the tournaments. In the 18th century it became popular entertainment; the professional bullfighter came into being and Ferdinand VII founded a school in Sevilla where bullfighting was taught.

An arena or plaza de toro is a roofed, round amfitheatre, holding approx. 2000 people. All around there is a heavy oak fence, about a meter and a half high, where there is a board for the fighters to jump over, while behind the fence  there is a secondary fence  to protect the audience, because sometimes the steer as well jumps over the first one. He then walks around in the narrow corridor, until a door is opened that gives him the opportunity to get back in the arena.

Before the beginning of the fight a parade takes place of espada’s, bandillero’s , piccadores, chulo’s, etc.

The most prominent member of the audience, a royal, governor, alcade (maire) or other authority gives the ornamental key to the pen, the door is opened and the steer enters.

Everybody leaves the arena, except fort he piccadores, waiting on old horses with ears and eyes shut off.  The piccador must prevent the steer to touch the horse with his lance. It often slips or breaks and the horse falls, wounded by the horns. The piccador gets away from under the horse, while the steer gets distracted by another piccador with his lance and the chulo’s with their red cloth.

After several piccadores have had their turn and a few horses have been toppled, there come the bandillero’s.  Everyone of them must stick their two rapiers into the bull’s shoulders simultaneously, while jumping around rapidly to avoid its horns.

Then finally comes the most important, the Espada. He remains in one place, leads the steer around him with his cloth, until in the end he firmly sticks his dagger into the animal’s heart. If however, the dagger bounces off a rib and the bull doesn’t fall as if hit by lightning, then the audience’s indignation is without limit. If just right, they are all drunk with excitement. Everybody throws presents at the espada, billfolds with money, cigarettes, sticks hats (the owner’s  or not), whatever is around to be thrown.

Now the arena is full again. Four horses or mules, prettily decorated with flags are used to pull away the dead horses and the bull. The pools of blood are covered with sand.  Piccadores and chulos appear again, while others disappear and a second bull gets admitted to the arena. And thus it goes on to number 6, sometimes more"