Torero

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Torero (from Spanish toro 'bull' ) is the name for a person actively involved in bullfighting , the corrida ; this includes novilleros , matadores , the banderillero and picadores .

A peón with a goyesca traje de luces in Arles , 2010

Types of toreros

The protagonist of the bullfight is the matador ( Latin mactator , 'murderer' , 'butcher'), who teases the bull with the muleta (the red cloth) and at the end of the fight gives him the fatal blow with the sword ( espada ). A matador begins his career as a novillero who does not yet have sufficient training and experience for fighting with adult bulls and therefore denies novilladas , which corridas are with young bulls (span. Novillo ). After a certain number of novilladas , the novillero can be promoted to matador who also fights against adult bulls. This takes place as part of a ceremony known as an alternative : in the case of a corrida with fully grown bulls, the senior matador , who usually kills the first bull in a corrida, leaves this bull to the previous novillero . This is done by the matador in the arena the Novillero the Muleta and the Espada passes.

Picador
Picador with his chaquetilla and his castoreño

Picadores (Eng. 'Zureiter', 'Lanzreiter') are the bullfighter's assistants who help to exhaust the bull. You sit on horseback and push lances into the neck muscles of the bull, which loses blood and is weakened by the injuries caused. Furthermore, the bull lowers its head as the fight progresses due to these muscle injuries and thus enables the matador to strike the final blow with the sword.

Banderillero

The banderillero has a similar task, among other things, it sticks smaller, sharp spears into the body of the bull. Its main task, however, is to stimulate the bull with the capa (a pink cloth).

Only after the picadores and banderilleros have done their work does the matador hit the fatal blow. A good matador can usually do this with one try.

Rejoneador

A special feature is the Rejoneador , who leads the entire bullfight from the horse. Rejoneos place the highest demands on the training of the horse.

history

Toreros come from the Spanish tradition of bullfighting ; they are mainly found in Spain, but also in Central and South America . Bullfights also take place in southern France and Portugal . The Portuguese form of "Torero" is Toureiro .

A career as a torero is particularly popular among socially disadvantaged groups, as it offers the opportunity for social advancement. Successful matadores are often as popular as pop stars and are considered the epitome of male virtues such as courage and strength.

Female toreros

The first known matador was Bertha Trujillo from Colombia. In Spain it was forbidden for women to take part in bullfighting until 1974; it was not until 1979 that a female matador appeared there, too , with Ángela Hernández . Twelve female matadors were counted internationally up to 2013. One of the most famous of them is Cristina Sánchez .

In 2005, Mari Paz Vega was officially recognized as a bullfighter as the second woman in the history of Spain.

literature

  • Rolf Neuhaus: The bullfight. A little cultural history. Insel-Verlag, 2007. ISBN 978-3-458-34952-5 .
  • Sarah Pink : Women and Bullfighting. Gender, Sex and the Consumption of Tradition. Bloomsbury Academic, 1997, ISBN 978-1-85973-961-7 (English).
  • Cristina Sánchez: Matadora. My life as a bullfighter (“Matadora”). Krüger Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1998, ISBN 3-8105-1894-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. Duden dictionary of origin. 3rd edition, 2001, p. 513.
  2. Women in torero heaven on: "Bullfight for All" (Weblog), April 2, 2013.
  3. Matador Mari Paz Vega. In: Berliner Morgenpost . July 5, 2005.

Web links

Wiktionary: Torero  - explanations of meanings, origins of words, synonyms, translations
Commons : Toreros  - Collection of Images