Whenever we think about Spain, a picture of a Bull-fighter with red cloth in his hand and bull charging towards it comes in our mind. Bull fighting has truly become the symbol of this European country.
The basis of bull fighting in Spain lies in an age old tradition in which people used to sacrifice a bull on the days of fiestas. The sacrifices used to be performed to please the God. This game originally started as a playful competition between people and their bulls. The person who used to take control of the bull was considered to be powerful and strong.
The professional form of this sport started in 711 A.D. to celebrate the crowning ceremony of King Alfonso VIII. At that time, this sport was played while riding a horse. It used to be a sport for aristocrats during those times. But King Felipe V banned the aristocrats from playing this sport as he thought that it will put a bad example in front of the people.
Once the aristocrats were banned from playing, common people started taking part in the Bull Fighting. As common people couldn’t afford to keep horses, they changed the rules of the game. Thus, the present version of the game was created in 1724. In this version, the player dodges the raging bull on foot and unarmed.
Ever since that time, bull fighting in Spain has been one of the most loved sports. Thousands of people flock the bull ring to watch this intense and entertaining competition between man and animal. The number of spectators of Bull fighting in Spain has crossed over 1 million every year.
Bull Fighting in Spain has taken shape of an organized sport. People find it extremely exciting to attend bull fighting matches. Thousands of people throng the stadiums for such matches, through out the year.
Bull fighting generally includes one unarmed matador and a raging bull. The matador is regarded as the greatest of sportsmen in the country as the act of jumping in to a ring with a huge ring requires a lot of courage. Many times, Matador can get seriously injured while fighting with the bull. This sport causes several deaths and disabling injuries every year. They are given highest of the honors by the government and many people treat them like superstars in Spain.
This is why, a bull fighting match is also known as the dance of death. The matador has to perform rehearsed and calculated moves to dodge bull’s attacks. One wrong move and the matador may get trampled under the bull’s feet or stabbed by its horns. But still, its popularity has only increased over the years.
Today, Bull Fighting has become a highly organized sport in Spain and many other countries have also started playing it. Even though, there are many organizations which consider this game as cruelty towards animals, this has not diminished the craze of people towards this sport.
