A most unusual corrida

I had the privilege of attending a most unusual bullfight the other day. As a part of the festivities of Sanjoaninas (a week-long festival in honor of St. John), a traditional, Portuguese-style corrida took place at the Praça de Toiros da Ilha Terceira. A couple of events that took place during the fight made it likely one of the most unique corridas that anyone has ever seen.

First, a little bit on the structure of the bullfight. This particular corrida consists of six fights total, each with a different bull. During each fight, the figures involved are cavaleiros, forcados, and bandarilheiros. During the first stage of each fight, a cavaleiro challenges the bull from horseback. He has different types of javelins with which he stabs at the back of the bull. Two longer javelins are used at the beginning of each fight that, when successfully deployed into the back of the bull, the tip breaks off and stays lodged in the bull, while a flag featuring the logo of a sponsor is revealed, waving from the shaft of the javelin. (Ahh, advertising at its finest…) The cavaleiro also employs multiple javelins that are slightly shorter than the ones with flags. These, however, do not have tips that break off and would thus dangle from the bull after a successful strike. Finally, the cavaleiro also uses one or two mini javelins—these are each probably no more than a foot long.

During the second and final stage of the fight, a group of eight men, the forcados, challenges the bull on foot without weapons or protection. These men are sometimes referred to as "the suicide squad." One forcado, distinguished by his wearing of a green hat (looks like an elf hat), approaches the bull slowly and shouts at it to get its attention. Eventually, the bull will charge, and the forcado, while taking the full brunt of the bull's assault, must embrace and hold on to the bull's head. As the first forcado is pushed along through the air, the others join in and, together, they eventually gain control of the bull. At the end, one forcado holds on to the tail of the bull and "surfs" on the sandy arena as the bull chases him in a circle. At the conclusion of the fight, the bull is herded back into the pen outside of the arena, with the help of two cattle herders and leading oxen, if necessary. Throughout the entire fight, the bandarilheiros help to position or distract the bull by using their pink capes from either inside or outside of the arena ring.

The first macabre event that took place during the corrida was with the fourth bull. I'm not sure how it happened exactly—it may have gotten its horn stuck on the arena wall or gate or it might have just been ramming really hard—but the bull broke one of its horns cleanly off, leaving nothing except a bright red patch, with thick, crimson blood oozing down from it. However, because in Portuguese-style bullfighting the horns are covered by interconnected caps, after the one horn broke off, it just dangled off of the other horn, as if it were some sort of a twisted carrot-on-a-stick, both tantalizing the bull and fueling its rage. The bull also tried to break off its other horn, although unsuccessfully. Seeing such a strong, proud animal going berserk sent chills down my spine every time its head made contact with the wall of the ring. The herders and bandarilheiros had much difficulty in getting the bull to return to the pen. After much effort, they were eventually successful in coercing the bull to exit the ring and to enjoy the last of its tainted glory hidden away and out of the sight of the public.

As if a bull breaking off its horn were not enough, near the end of the final fight, the unimaginable happened. At first, it seemed as if the cavaleiro, who had been performing beautifully, wanted to up the ante by jumping off his horse so as to challenge the bull on foot. His horse, as if to complement this strange twist by doing a trick of sorts, appeared to lie down on its side and play dead. However, it was clear that it was all wrong and not part of an elaborate performance when the face of the rider came into view, stricken with a mix of panic and concern. The bandarilheiros bolted into the ring to take control of the bull, while a number of people, unfamiliar to the spectators, hurried to the side of the fallen horse. All the while, the legs of the horse went into spasms and contorted in grotesque and unspeakable manners. One of the caretakers eventually started to jump up and down on the chest of the horse, in an attempt to resuscitate the rapidly fading animal. The effort of the caretaker and all of the others were unsuccessful, however, and the horse, after having performed spectacularly for the last time, was laid to rest under the capes of the bandarilheiros.

At the end of the corrida, I left the arena in a daze—I was amazed by the deft artistry of the cavaleiros and the raw courage of the forcados but also unsettled by the gruesome and surreal circumstances surrounding the bull and the horse.

(Pictures and videos to come)