Balls of steel

Hi everyone

Here i am again, talking about Portugal AGAIN!!!! I hope nobody thinks i'm being boring or brainwashing my blog readers. It's just that my country isn't exactly what i would consider as popular, when compared to such countries as France, Spain, Italy, Germany, UK, Greece, well... it seems most of them, . So the purpose for these articles is to give a bit of Portugal for everyone in this side of the world to know more about this country where i live. Not just cities, but cuisine and even traditions. So today, i want to write about the Portuguese bullfighting, not extensively because i already wrote about it last year but another component of the bullfighting practiced here, and it is called Tourada à corda, translated to english means bullfighting on a rope.

This unique event has been practiced in Portugal and islands ( Madeira and Azores ) since the 16th century. The bull is let loose with a very long rope around its neck, usually at the main road of a village. Before every bull is getting out of a wooden crate, a small rocket which makes a loud noise is launched. This signal indicates, that there is a bull on the streets, and the game is ready to begin. The bull is guided by several experienced men ( and women too ), keeping a grip at the rope. The whole idea is, that the local young men now try to get as close to the bull as they dare, teasing the bull which is getting agitated by all the movements. This game is very amusing but dangerous too, and in a way, it is also an attempt for the local boys to impress the local girls.  I also did this once, but not to impress any girl at all. It's a very scary experience to see a bull running towards you, i even lost a shoe when i tried to escape from the bull

After a while the bull is taken back to the wooden crate as it arrived in, and another rocket will be launched, announcing a break in the game. Now it's time to move around, have something to eat, a drink ( or several drinks ), or simply go back home.

This is an outstanding local event, and attracts many many people. As a tourist you should arrive in due time.
Find a secure place with a good view. Usually there are a total of 3-4 bulls at any event. To find out where and when this event take place, ask at any tourist office about the bullfighting season, which usually starts at every April and ends at October. Every local knows, excluding myself...i know nothing about these events

If there is any bullfighting show in any arena when you are here, you should really get a ticket and watch a bullfighting show, although i'm against these kind of shows where animals are tortured, but i also understand it's an important part of the Iberian tradition. There is a bullfight arena in Lisbon and plenty others in surrounding regions such as Moita or Vila Franca de Xira. It's a great opportunity to watch bullfight in another way than the Spanish. The bull is not meant to be killed. The Toreador will place small " blades " on the back of the bull like in Spain, but only until a certain point in the game. Like mentioned previously, the bull isn't killed in the arena.

Then 6-7 other men enter the arena, known as Forcados. One of them walks bravely and slowly towards the bull. Now the bull starts running fast directly against this man to attack him. Just before the bull is hitting the man , he grabs around the bulls neck with both arms, trying to stop the bull. Now the other men standing behind him, are going to prevent him from falling. One man grabbing the bull's tail, forcing the bull turning round, and making the bull stand still.

That's all. Hard to understand?. Well, it's hard to explain ! One thing is certain, while bullfighting is known to be cruel for the bulls, the same can't be said about bullfights on a rope, in which the bull is the cruel element , do you have any doubts, then watch some of the following videos. You'll know what i mean...and following the title of my article, you really do need balls of steel to stand in front of a bull!!!