Interesting Facts About The History Of Bullfighting In Spain

By Helga Stokes


Bullfighting is a sport that is very popular in Spain and other Spanish cultures. An actual bullfight will last for about 20 minutes, and fans of the sport love going to an arena to watch the matador enjoy his victory over the bull. The history of bullfighting in Spain is very interesting as the sport has gone on in this country for many centuries.

Although Spain invented bullfighting as we know it today, there were other variations of it in much older civilizations. Paintings have been discovered by historians showing people grabbing bulls horns and jumping over them. These paintings are thought to be from the year 2000 BC.

The bull has been a sacred animal in many religions. It was used as a sacrifice for many ancient religions to worship their gods. There were also religions that thought of the bull as a god and held worship ceremonies toward it. Even in the holy Bible, the bull is mentioned many times and is always refereed to as a powerful beast. The Bible will usually use analogies and idioms about a bull to show the power and strength of it.

Ancient Rome had practiced bullfighting as a form of entertainment. Although, there was a following of the sport, it did not gain the great popularity that Spaniards would later bring to the sport in the 1700s. This may have been because of Spaniards using capes to control the bulls better and have them do whatever it is that they wanted. By having more control of the bull, the matador could entertain fans more with trickier and more acrobatic jumps. This made the sport a huge spectacle.

Spain went through many wars during the Spanish War of the Reconquesta. These battles were spread throughout the years but lasted in between the years 711 and 1492. While no fighting was going on, soldiers would sometimes hunt animals to entertain themselves. Some animals did not put up much of a challenge, some put up a mild challenge and the bull put up a big challenge.

The most challenging that they found was the bull. This 1000 pound creature would not back down from anyone like other creatures of the wild. Those who battled the bull were seen as brave and courageous. When thy returned to their subjects with the head of a bull, they would earn honor. Even though they didn't know it, they began what we know as bullfighting.

Fighting a bull is viewed by most people to be an insane act. The fact of the matter though is that there really is not fight going on. The whole spectacle is more of an entertainment show. The reason fans applaud the matador is to praise him for the skills that he displays in not getting killed.

When learning about the history of bullfighting in Spain, the way it came to be surprises many. During the 1700s is when fans started to appreciate the showmanship put on by the matador's. Putting their life at risk just to entertain others was something only few people had the courage to do. Even though it is a sport unlike any other, it certainly is loved by fans just as much.




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