The Sun also Rise. “El Andi”, Tauromachia and other Fiesta Brava
I love this Book, Rights, activism, animals
Video Debut of young torero Andrés Roca Rey, El Andi, at Segunda Corrida de la Feria del Señor de los Milagros 2007, filmed by Danny Alarcón - TorosTV
The sun rises and the sun sets, and to its place it yearns and rises there.
Kohelet - Chapter 1, 5
In 1925, Hemingway attended the festival of San Fermin in Pamplona and began a lifelong fascination with Spain and bullfighting. The Sun Also Rises, published in 1926, was inspired by that first trip to Pamplona. The title is taken from the first chapter of Ecclesiastes, Hemingway’s favourite book of the Old Testament. Hemingway’s book is also known with the title: Fiesta.
Bullfighting traces its roots to prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice. Tauromachy (tauromachia the “fighting of a bull)” is a name for the sacrifice ritual and also for the iconic central action of Mithras, the savior-god of Mithraism. It is also another term for bullfighting, or tauromachy as found in toreo, corrida de toros or tauromaquia.
The conventional Spanish bullfight is mainly descended from the original Andalusian style where the cape was of prime importance. The Basque-Navarre style was quite common in the early 19th century and painter Francisco de Goya left some famous etchings depicting such events.
The modern style of Spanish bullfighting is credited to Juan Belmonte (1892-1962) the greatest matador of all time who introduced a daring and revolutionary style, in which he stayed within a few inches of the bull throughout the fight. Although extremely dangerous (Belmonte himself was gored on many occasions), his style is still seen by most matadors as the ideal to be emulated.
Today, bullfighting remains similar to the way it was in 1726, when Francisco Romero, from Ronda, Spain, used the estoque, a sword, to kill the bull, and the muleta, a small cape used in the last stage of the fight. Spanish-style bullfighting is called corrida de toros (literally running of bulls) or fiesta brava (the ferocious festival). In traditional corrida, three toreros, or matadores, each fight two bulls, each of which is at least four years old and weighs 460-600 kg.
Each matador has six assistants — two picadores (”lancers”) mounted on horseback, three banderilleros (”flagmen”), and a mozo de espada (”sword page”). Collectively they comprise a cuadrilla (”entourage”).
The aesthetic of bullfighting is based on the interaction of the man and the bull.
“Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter’s honour.”
(Ernest Hemingway, Death in the afternoon)
The bullfight used to be a cruel demonstration of style, technique and courage by its participants. While there is usually no doubt about the outcome, the bull is not viewed as a sacrificial victim — it is instead seen by the audience as a worthy adversary, deserving of respect in its own right. Bulls learn fast and a bullfight may be viewed as a race against time for the matador, who must display his bullfighting skills before the animal learns what is going on and begins to thrust its horns at something other than the cape.
Nowadays Bullfighting is banned in many countries; people taking part in such activity would be liable for terms of imprisonment for animal cruelty. In Spain, national laws against cruelty to animals have abolished most archaic spectacles of animal cruelty, but specifically exempt bullfighting.
Bullfighting has been criticized by animal rights activists as a gratuitously cruel blood sport: The bull suffers severe stress or a slow, painful death. A number of animal rights or animal welfare activist groups undertake anti-bullfighting actions in Spain and other countries. In Spanish, opposition to bullfighting is referred to as antitaurina.
INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST BULLFIGHT
At the moment there is a big ANTITAURINO manifestation going on in Acho, Peru.
PERU ANTITAURINO is an activist group undertake anti-bullfighting actions in Peru. The Organisation is planning a Manifestación Nacional on Sunday 25 November, to ask for:
- the creation of a National Committe dedicates to the Animal Protection and the Reglamentación de la Ley N° 27265.
- the Modification of the Animal Rights Law of (Protección a los Animales) against the promotion of bullfighting.
* Conformación del Comité Nacional de Protección a los Animales y la Reglamentación de la Ley N° 27265.
* Modificación de la Ley de Protección a los Animales mediante el proyecto de Ley 00496-2006/CR, presentado en octubre del 2006 por el congresista José Urquizo Magia; que busca cambiar el artículo que exceptúa a las corridas de toros por habérsele considerado un espectáculo cultural según el INC, situación que ha cambiado, pues el 13 de abril del 2005 el TRIBUNAL CONSTITUCIONAL resolvió que éste no era un espectáculo cultural y que el Estado tenía “el deber de no promover tales espectáculos”. Esta resolución se ha convertido en un argumento inapelable para este proyecto, el cual se encuentra en espera para su próximo debate en el congreso.
peruantitaurino@hotmail.com
Popularity: 9% [?]
Ilari Valbonesi @ November 7, 2007