Portuguese-style bullfighting

Portuguese-style bullfighting differs in many aspects from Spanish-style bullfighting, most notably in the fact that the bull is not killed in front of an audience in the arena. The cavaleiros and the forcados are unique to the Portuguese variety of bullfighting, as well as the participation of horsewomen (cavaleiras) in the routines.

Cavaleiro and bull

Main figures
  • Cavaleiros - A horseman or woman (rider), dressed in traditional 18th century costumes fights the bull from horseback. The horses are Lusitanos, specially trained for the fights. These horses are usually skilled in dressage and may exhibit their art in the arena. The purpose of this fight is to stab three or four bandarilhas (small spears) in the back of the bull. In the past, horseback bullfighters were often members of old aristocratic families. The horsewomen (cavaleiras) are a pioneer and unique feature of the Portuguese bullfighting. Ana Batista, Sónia Matias, Ana Rita and Joana Andrade are among the first and most renowned cavaleiras of Portugal.
  • Forcados - The forcados are a group of eight men who challenge the bull directly, without any protection or weapon of defense. The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a pega de cara or pega de caras (face catch). The front man secures the animal's head and is quickly aided by his fellows who surround and secure the animal until he is subdued. Forcados were usually people from lower classes who, to this day, practice their art through amateur associations.
  • Matadores - Same as the Spanish matadores, but they do not kill the bull in the end.
  • Bandarilheiros - These men are the matador's and/or cavaleiro's helpers in the arena. They are skillful and wear the suit of light as the matador, except not with the gold sequins. While in the arena, they are holding the gold/pink cape to distract or position the bull.

Stages

Corridas de touros

Most Portuguese bullfights (corridas de touros) are held in two phases: the spectacle of the cavaleiro, followed by the pega. In Portugal, the main stars of bullfighting are the cavaleiros, as opposed to Spain, where the matadores are the most prominent bullfighters. Nevertheless, bullfights with matadores are frequent, notably with Portuguese matadores who practice their trade in Spain and who, when in Portugal, replace the sword in their final strike with a bandarilha, a small type of spear. Examples of famous Portuguese matadores are Vítor Mendes and Pedrito de Portugal.

The spectacle starts with the cavaleiro, a horseman on a Lusitano specially trained for the fights, fighting the bull from horseback. The purpose of this fight is to stab three or four bandeirilhas in the back of the bull.

Pega de caras

In the second stage, called the pega, the forcados, a group of eight men, challenge the bull directly without any protection or weapon of defense. The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a pega de cara or pega de caras (face catch). The front man secures the animal's head and is quickly aided by his fellows who surround and secure the animal until he is subdued. Many people who watch Portuguese-style bullfights in the United States use the term, "suicide squad", to refer to this group of eight men.

The bull is not killed, at the end of the corrida, leading oxen are let into the arena and two campinos on foot herd the bull along them back to its pen. After the fight the bull may be either killed by a professional butcher or, after a good performance, restored to health and released to pasture for breeding. Nevertheless, tradition was so strong at the small frontier town of Barrancos, where the bull was illegally killed, that the government was forced to relent and permit the town to follow its ancient matador tradition and kill the bull.

Tourada à corda

There are other forms of traditional bullfighting in Portugal, some differing markedly from the version described above. In the Azores, bullfighting is often reminiscent of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, in the respect that those most at risk are human beings, not the bulls themselves. The Azorean style involves a group of people vying in a tug-of-war with a young bull by holding fast to a long stout rope tied around the bull's neck. This is called the tourada à corda (bull-on-a-rope 'game'). Portuguese immigrants from the Azores also practice "tourada a corda" in the city of Brampton, southern Ontario, Canada.[1]

Hazards
See also: Bullfighting

In Portugal, some bulls have their horns severed and covered in a way that they do not present sharp points. This practice is believed to have been introduced by King Joseph I of Portugal after a tragic event in a bullfight over which he was presiding at Salvaterra de Magos. The son and heir of the 4th Marquis of Marialva was fighting a bull on horseback when the animal wounded his horse. The young man fell, was kicked by the bull and killed. The Marquis himself, then around 70 years of age, jumped from the royal cabin that he shared with the king, drew his sword and killed the animal.

Regional variation
  ANMP municipalities
  Non-ANMP municipalities that have declared tauromachy immaterial cultural heritage
  ANMP municipalities that have not declared tauromachy as immaterial cultural heritage.
  ANMP municipalities that have rejected to declare tauromachy as immaterial cultural heritage (Tomar).
  Non-ANMP municipalities that have rejected to declare tauromachy as immaterial cultural heritage (Abrantes).

Some southern and central regions of Portugal, such as Ribatejo and parts of the Alentejo, as well as Terceira Island in the Azores, are traditionally more interested in the corrida de touros. In Portugal's northern regions, bullfighting has a much lower presence, except for Póvoa de Varzim where bullfighting arenas are known to exist, at various locations, since the 18th century.

Some Portuguese municipalities have declared bullfighting immaterial cultural heritage, and become members of the Section of Municipalities with Tauromachic Activities of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP); others have implicitly or explicitly refused to do so.[2]

RTP has historically shown bullfights in prime-time; the practice has been criticized, with left-wing parties proposing legislation to prevent bullfighting being shown on the public broadcasting network[3] or changing the rating of the show to an adults-only classification.[4]

Attempts at prohibition

Queen Maria II of Portugal prohibited bullfighting in 1836 with the argument that it was unbefitting for a civilised nation. The ban was lifted in 1921, but in 1928 a law was passed that forbade the killing of the bull during a fight. In practice, bulls still frequently die after a fight from their injuries or by being slaughtered by a butcher.[5]

In 2001, matador Pedrito de Portugal controversially killed a bull at the end of a fight after spectators encouraged him to do so by chanting "Kill the bull! Kill the bull!"[5] The crowds gave Pedrito a standing ovation, hoisted him on their shoulders and paraded him through the streets.[5] Hours later the police arrested him and charged him with a fine, but they released him after crowds of angry fans surrounded the police station.[5] A long court case ensued, finally resulting in Pedrito's conviction in 2007 with a fine of €100,000.[5] In 2002, the Portuguese government gave Barrancos, a village near the Spanish border where bullfighting fans stubbornly persisted in encouraging the killing of bulls during fights, a dispensation from the 1928 ban.[5]

In 2009, the northern city of Viana do Castelo prohibited bullfighting in all instances when a municipality's permit was required.[6] This decision was contested in 2012 by a Braga court and bullfighting was permitted again in the municipality. Despite this court ruling, only 3 bull races were registered in Viana do Castelo between 2012 and the last one in 2014.[7]

In June 2018, the Póvoa de Varzim municipality announced a bullfighting ban starting January 1, 2019;[8] pro-bullfighting groups interceded against this prohibition and in September 2019, a court in Porto ruled that the ban was unconstitutional.[9][10] The city of Póvoa de Varzim has approved the demolition of the Póvoa de Varzim Bullfighting Arena, its municipal bullfighting ring.[11]

In July 2018, animalist party PAN presented a proposal at the Portuguese Parliament to abolish all types of bullfighting in the country. Left-wing party Left Bloc voted in favour of the proposal but criticised its lack of solutions to the foreseen consequences of the abolition. The proposal was however categorically rejected by all other parties, that cited freedom of choice and respect for tradition as arguments against it.[12][13]

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See also

References
  1. Chris Helgren (17 August 2015). "Bullfighting in Brampton, Ont., results in just a few scrapes and bruises for man and bull". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. Associação Nacional dos Municípios Portugueses (ANMP) (2014).
  3. Falcão, Catarina (30 October 2015). "O cerco aperta às touradas em Portugal e na Europa". Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  4. Correia, Cátia Andrea (1 June 2016). "Touradas só para maiores de 18 anos?" (in Portuguese). Sábado. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  5. Dan Bilefsky (8 August 2007). "Famous Portuguese matador broke the law by killing a bull". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. Oliveira, Luís Henrique (28 February 2009). "Câmara proíbe touradas no município". Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese).
  7. "Viana do Castelo sem pedido de licenciamento de touradas nos últimos dois anos". Observador (in Portuguese). Lusa News Agency. 12 August 2019.
  8. "Póvoa de Varzim declara-se anti-touradas" (in Portuguese). Póvoa do Varzim Municipality. 20 June 2018.
  9. Correia Pinto, Mariana (10 September 2019). "Tribunal diz ser inconstitucional proibir touradas". Público. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  10. Raínho, Pedro (12 September 2019). "Câmaras municipais podem proibir touradas?" (in Portuguese). Visão. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  11. Correia Pinto, Mariana; Volta e Pinto, José (17 June 2019). "Póvoa do Varzim vai deitar abaixo praça de touros". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  12. Rodrigues, Sofia (6 July 2018). "Chumbada abolição de touradas". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  13. Lousada Oliveira, Octávio (6 July 2018). "As touradas vão continuar. Parlamento chumba proposta do PAN" (in Portuguese). Visão. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
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