Birthday of Portuguese bullfighting (14/08)

Every year on August 14, a celebration of the birth of Portuguese bullfighting takes place in Abioul (Portugal), the main event of which is bullfighting itself in ancient national traditions.

Bullfighting (Spanish. Corrida de toros or English. Bullfighting) — is not just a competition, but an amazing combination of sport and art, spectacle and craftsmanship, shows and sacred rites involving desperate daredevils.

Caballero begins the fight by riding a horse, and the fourcadou — foot soldiers enter into a duel when the bull is already wounded by a — porridge with a sharp hook at the end two centimeters long, which sticks into a subcutaneous fat bag at the withers of the bull and gets stuck there. In terms of pain, this is comparable to a needle prick for a person. In past centuries, riders were aristocrats, and fourcados — were commoners. Since then, the difference in their equipment has remained: the costumes of « infantrymen» are much more modest.

From time immemorial, the country has had clear age limits for bullfighting participants. Junior category — «infantish», that is, «babies». It includes boys from 10 to 14 years old who fight not with adult bulls, but with young bulls. Teenage group «juveniles» includes teenagers 14-18 years old. The main age group — is men from 18 to 35 years old, although the upper limit is arbitrary and is often exceeded by those who enter the arena at both 40 and 45.



The stands around the arena are always crowded — bullfighting is phenomenally popular among the people, especially among girls. They very often prefer a visit to a fourcado training session to other entertainment. And being a friend of a fourcadouche — is the cherished dream of every young Portuguese woman.

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