Spanish traditions
When you have booked a appartement Sevilla you will have plenty of time to discover all the city has to offer, including a controversial part of Spanish culture, bullfighting. In Seville you find the most important bullring of Spain, the Real Maestranza. The tradition has its climax during the yearly Feria de Abril when the best matadors of Spain come to Seville for the fights that take place every afternoon.
When you ask the average English person how they feel about bullfighting you will probably hear most often that they think it is horrible. The main opinion is that it is sad for the bulls who can not choose to do this. Although I share this opinion I can also understand why it is still so popular in some parts of Spain.
Some say that the bullfighting dates from ancient Greek history when the Minotaurus was killed to save people. The bullfighting as we know it now developed on village squares and the first ring was build in the late 18th century in the town Ronda.
The image we have of bullfighting is mainly that of a matador standing in the ring with a red flag with which he challenges the bull to charge at him but there is more behind it. For the lovers of it, the fight is a ritual of life and death. It is human to be scared of the dead while challenging it at the same time, in the case of bullfighting the bull personifies the dead and after killing the bull the man has beaten death.
The ritual is ancient and always goes in the same line of steps. First the Picador, a man on a horse, comes in to challenge the bull. Afterwards the Banderillero will enter the arena with colored lances that are stuck in the bull