Post by adam on Nov 17, 2006 14:15:42 GMT -5
I was just reading up on Bull Fighting and thought I'd set up a little debate. I think that some other less violent alternative can be set up as it is pointless killing and torture.
You might like to read this before commenting. It has lots of info:
The first bullfights were on horseback to celebrate special occasions such as royal weddings and military victories.
There are usually six separate fights and each lasts around 20 minutes. Like a play, bullfighting is all about characters and the main characters are the cavaleiros, matadors and forcardas.
The Portuguese festival begins when a team of riders, called cavaleiros, dressed in grand costumes, enter the ring.
The horsemen target the bulls with spears and darts tipped with what looks like brightly-coloured tinsel. The cavaleiros are the stars of the show and are applauded as they dodge the bulls' charges.
Next come matadors who use a coloured cape, called a muleta, to direct the bulls around the ring.
Although the capes are usually bright red, all cattle are actually colour-blind. Red is often used to try to hide any trace of blood.
In Spain, the matador plays the leading role, killing the bull to the cheers of the crowd. But in Portugal the matadors make way for the forcardas.
A team of eight men called forcardas then show their bravery by standing in front of a bull. One of the team attracts the bull's attention and then it charges at the men.
As bulls can weigh up to half a tonne, it often knocks over one of more of the forcardas.
At the end of a fight in Portugal, the bull is dragged out of the ring and is usually taken to a butcher to be killed.
You might like to read this before commenting. It has lots of info:
The first bullfights were on horseback to celebrate special occasions such as royal weddings and military victories.
There are usually six separate fights and each lasts around 20 minutes. Like a play, bullfighting is all about characters and the main characters are the cavaleiros, matadors and forcardas.
The Portuguese festival begins when a team of riders, called cavaleiros, dressed in grand costumes, enter the ring.
The horsemen target the bulls with spears and darts tipped with what looks like brightly-coloured tinsel. The cavaleiros are the stars of the show and are applauded as they dodge the bulls' charges.
Next come matadors who use a coloured cape, called a muleta, to direct the bulls around the ring.
Although the capes are usually bright red, all cattle are actually colour-blind. Red is often used to try to hide any trace of blood.
In Spain, the matador plays the leading role, killing the bull to the cheers of the crowd. But in Portugal the matadors make way for the forcardas.
A team of eight men called forcardas then show their bravery by standing in front of a bull. One of the team attracts the bull's attention and then it charges at the men.
As bulls can weigh up to half a tonne, it often knocks over one of more of the forcardas.
At the end of a fight in Portugal, the bull is dragged out of the ring and is usually taken to a butcher to be killed.