EL Juli Bullfighting
Most things can be located in Madrid,and that includes Bullfighting.
Madrid has two bullrings they are – Vista Alegre and Las Ventas. Las Ventas, has a greater capacity of the two seating 20,000 and is considered the more important of the two and this venue is where the most of the fights take place. It is also more central and easier to get to than Vista Alegre. Vista Alegre these days is usually more used for concerts and sports events.
How popular is Bull Fighting in Madrid
Madrid and Andalusia are the two main center locations for bull fighting in Spain.Most consider Madrid as being the best place to see a bullfight in Spain – it attracts less tourists however more serious bull fighting patrons than in Andalusia.
For three weeks only towards the end of May and early June is the Festival de San Isidro. During this time fights usually will take place every day. Some of the better fighters will be in the town during this period therefore booking ahead would be a good idea.
There are very few Spanish traditions that will divide opinion as much as the tradition of bullfighting. For every bullfighting fan willing to protect their art you will easily find ten others who see it as just a cruel blood sport and would love for the tradition to be banned – Having said all that, the activity goes on.
Come on then! which camp are you in?
Do hundreds of years of Spanish tradition, outlandish colorful costumes and fantastically, eccentric, glittery shows give you a rush and excite you.Or like so many,do you see it as a prehistoric blood sport that has no bearing or relation to the modern animal loving,green, environmentally friendly 21st century that we all live.
Those against
The act of bullfighting has developed over the centuries into a hugely glorified public event it has always been presented as a contest between the brave matador, who bravely puts his life on the line to battle with the loco and ferocious beast
(the bull)
The practice is nothing but barbaric say animal activists.The animals suffer unnecessarily during the bullfight.Those that occupy this camp suggest that killing for meat is bearable and can be tolerated however killing for fun is wrong under any circumstances.
Those in favor
Those in favor of bullfighting articulate that the animal is eaten afterwards, therefore the animal is not killed in vain. They also suggest that the animal does not suffer during the exercise and a good bullfighter will kill the bull efficiently.
Whether this argument holds water these days is an argument in its self and while, as those in favor relay, the final kill is quick, the pain the animal endures during the kill is evident and unnecessary.
Criticisms
The suggestion that all abattoirs always kill in the most painless and efficient way is said to be bogus.Some see the time spent arguing and demonstrating against bullfighting is a waste of time as comparing the minimal amount of animals killed during bullfighting to that of the animals slaughtered in second rate slaughter houses under the guidance of the meat trade as a farce. The point being that there are far bigger animal cruelty issues out there that deserve time spent on.
Where does the European Union stand on Bullfighting
The European Union is spending 30 million annually to support Spanish bullfights, which probably will kill at least 40,000 bulls this year. The EU has also modernized and rebuilt bullrings and is being coerced by the government of Span to recognize bullfighting as a direct representative of Europe’s cultural heritage.
Most of the organizers of bullfighting in Spain will tell you that they love the EU and moreover the EU subsidies that they receive as the subsidies allow them to kill more bulls.
Currently the European Union is showing no sign of initiating a ban on bullfighting. In actual fact it even actively promotes an event in Coria, in this event the bull is taunted in the streets. Such activities are thought of as ”traditional, and have been part of the fabric and culture for centuries.
It can be quite an exercise to work out how many people visiting a bull ring are tourists or local hardened enthusiasts. Having said that one thing is for sure,if public opinion continues to worsen and tourists stop coming, the number of bullfights may reduce.And as more and more organizers find their events poorly attended and subsequently no longer viable financially, the centuries old tradition may well succumb.
Useful article by the Daily Mail’s Danny Penman. Britain is keeping the Barbarism alive in Spain