Tourada à corda
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The Tourada à corda , also Toirada à corda or Corrida de touros à corda , is a form of bullfight that is a tradition on the islands belonging to the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores .
The vast majority of fights - around 200 a year - take place on Terceira , to a lesser extent on the islands of São Jorge and La Graciosa and a few fights on Pico . In contrast to the Spanish form of bullfighting and the Portuguese bullfighting in the arena (also practiced on Terceira), the bull is neither injured nor killed during the fight or afterwards.
The bullfights take place from May 1st to October 15th in the evening. The first registered Tourada was celebrated in 1622 on the occasion of the canonization of Saints Francis Xavier and Ignatius of Loyola .
The bulls are delivered in wooden transport crates with a hatch on one side that allows a rope to be tied around the bull's horns. On the other side is the entrance for the bull.
A fireworks rocket indicates that a bull has been released from the transport crate. A second shot after the usual fight time indicates that the bull is back in the box. A shot beforehand means that the bull has freed itself from the rope and is now freely moving through the village.
Six mascados da corda (rope keepers) hold the bull on a long rope wound around the bull's horns and on the one hand are intended to prevent the bull from leaving the area of the event. On the other hand, they should prevent the worst when he attacks bystanders. Often the bull is let go in the center of the village, for example on the market square. The brave provoke the animal, often with an umbrella . It is not uncommon for too much daring to be taken between the horns. The breeding animals, sometimes awarded, are able to overcome high barriers. People in need of security should stay outside the radius of action. House entrances and windows are secured with improvised sheds. The authorities have started to issue registration and security rules.
After the fight, the bull is returned to pasture and should be given a recovery period of at least eight days if it is used again.
Web links
- Video of a Tourada , Calheta , São Jorge, 2008
- Photo gallery
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Azores online: Tourada a corda - the bullfight on a rope
- ↑ Regulamento das Toiradas à Corda ( Memento of the original of June 21, 2011) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file, Portuguese)
- ↑ Decreto que regulamenta as touradas ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file, Portuguese; 357 kB)
- ↑ Associação Regional de Criadores da Tourada à corda ( Memento of the original dated February 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Portuguese)
