Six-nil again

Henning Earnestway - Norwegian novelist

There's probably not much which polarises Spanish opinion more than the season which runs from the end of March, stages many of its biggest events during the summer, and concludes in late September or early October. Almost fifty years after Ernest Hemingway - a vociferous proponent - accidentally discharged both barrels of a shotgun into his mouth, the debate still rages, just as it did back then. I refer of course to bullfighting, aka La Corrida. Prohibited by law since 1991 in the Canary Islands and due to be banned in Catalunya from the start of 2012, bullfighting is still the subject of an ongoing battle between the traditionalists and the animal rights campaigners. So, an outdated and cruel spectacle or an enduring emblem of Spain's cultural identity? I haven't got the foggiest to be honest and I'm not here to referee the warring factions either. Instead, I'm going to put my own slant on things just like I do with most of the stuff in this blog.


The WSHOAGSABD in North London, the wrong
 shape for bullfighting

For an event where the result is never in doubt, (the refrigerated truck that waits out of sight round the back always leaves full), the biggest occasions sell out weeks before and are quite often televised live. The most popular matadors,(Toreros), have a dedicated following and are very much in demand at "first category" bullrings such as Sevilla, Bilbao, Córdoba, Zaragoza, and, the largest in all of Spain, the twenty three thousand seater Las Ventas in Madrid that has a full name numbering an incredible ten words. A bit like giving Wembley the full style "Wembley Stadium - Home of a Great Sport Adminstered by Dinosaurs" I suppose. For a week at a time all of the above cities hold their famed fairs, (Ferias), on each evening of which La Corrida is held - the April feria of Sevila actually runs for two weeks and overlaps into May. Closer to home, the bull ring in Valencia is the nearest first category Plaza de Toros to my neck of the woods and the place to be when the city hosts it`s own prestigious Las Fallas in March and San Jaime in July. Elsewhere, the Feria de San Fermin is a rare opportunity for the beast to get his own back on a man during a week in July when some unfortunate tourists will end up maimed for life in Pamplona.

 Julio Aparicio Diaz meets with his mis-hap

By law, every bull ring in Spain of whatever size has been required to have an on site chapel for a number of years now. Once in a while this is quite handy because periodically the smallest lapse in concentration has ensured a careless matador ends up with bully's special prize. Usually, the ambulance fare to the nearest hospital coupled with wall to wall coverage on the Spanish television news and the next morning´s newspapers. The most spectacular incident of that nature in recent years happened in May 2010 during the San Isidro Feria in Madrid, where a 41 year old native of Sevilla, Julio Aparicio Diaz, was gored through the chin. A split second later the offending horn emerged back out into the daylight through his mouth having nearly cut his tongue off. During his lengthy recovery in hospital, rumour has it the terribly unlucky Señor Diaz had to use a pen and paper to ask for the loo because he couldn't actually talk.

Have a look at what you woulda won

Generally speaking, and I believe Julio Aparicio is making good progress with his lessons, the larger the arena the more famous the matador and the higher the ticket prices to get in. Obviously, the fee for the intrepid Torero, who also has to settle up with his entourage of six helpers, goes up quite a bit too. This is just as well, for the star of the show is expected to show no fear whilst mincing around in his gold, and one other colour, suit of lights. Bulls appearing at venues such as Las Ventas in Madrid and La Maestranza in Sevilla, Spain's oldest, are carefully chosen for their size and aggression, thus making the job of El Cayetano, (they´ve all got nicknames), that much harder. Woe betide anyone who shows any nerves too because the knowledgeable spectators will spot a fake, or a passive bull, and quickly make their feelings known. Those that display the requisite skills and demonstrate sufficient artistic impression, each Corrida features three matadors who each get two goes, are awarded the ears of the, by now, deceased beast.

FOOTNOTE: There's a bull ring in Birmingham too, but it´s nowhere near as nice as the one in Burgos!   With a title like that, did you honestly expect something serious??