The Bullfights for Fallas

Bullfighting is Spain’s oldest and best loved sport, particularly here in Valencia.

It is also its most controversial national sport.

The dispute between its supporters and opponents has been almost as hard fought and passionate as the fight to the death between matador and bull.

Aficionados will tell you that it is a high art form rather than a sport and represents man’s struggle against nature and his own internal demons. Animal rights activists both in Spain and around the world continue to condemn bullfighting as an anathema in a civilised society but millions of Spaniards see the bullfight as just a great day out.

The Bullfight
In a corrida (an afternoon or evening fight) it is usual for six of these fighting bulls to be slaughtered. The fight involves three matadors with their band of helpers – the picador horsemen, who lance the bulls and the banderillos who stab them with barbed spikes.

The Bulls are specially bred from an ancient bloodline to fight. Spain is now the only country in the world to breed this particular species of “toro bravo”.

The final act of the three-part corrida involves a series of intricate daredevil moves and passes by the matador before he makes his final lethal thrust between the bull’s shoulder blades. If the spectators approve of the matador’s performance they wave white handkerchiefs to signal to the fight’s president that he should reward their hero with a trophy – one or both of the bull’s ears and/or its tail.

FERIA DE FALLAS

Jueves -Thursday, 8 marzo-March.
Sábado/Saturday 8 March - CORRIDA DE TOROS
Ganadería: Puerto Frontino
Matadores:
LÓPEZ CHAVES,
PACO RAMOS,
ÓSCAR SANZ

Domingo/Sunday 9 March
NOVILLADA PICADA/YOUNG BULLS AND FIGHTERS
Ganadería: Los chospes
Novilleros:
LUMBRERITA,
RUBÉN PINAR,
JUAN LUIS RODRÍGUEZ

Lunes/Monday 10 March
NOVILLADA PICADA/YOUNG BULLS AND FIGHTERS
Ganadería: Fuente Ymbro
Novilleros:
CAYETANO GARCÍA,
JOSÉ MANUEL MAS,
MIGUEL TENDERO

Martes/Tuesday 11 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: Mª José Barral
Matadores
UCEDA LEAL,
JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ,
SERAFÍN MARÍN

Miércoles/Wednesday 12 March
NOVILLADA SIN PICADORES/BEGINNERS FIGHTS
Matinal. Gratuita/MORNING FREE ENTRY
Ganadería: Remonta
Novilleros:
RAFAEL CASTELLANOS,
de la Escuela/from the school of Taurina de Ciudad Real
LUCA RUFFO,
de la Escuela/from the school of Taurina de Valencia
MANUEL SARRIÓN
de la Escuela/from the school of Taurina de Valencia

Miércoles/Wednesday 12 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: Los Bayones
Matadores:
CURRO DÍAZ,
MIGUEL ABELLÁN,
ANTÓN CORTÉS

Jueves/Thursday 13 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: J. Núñez del Cuvillo
Matadores:
VICENTE BARRERA,
JOSÉ TOMÁS,
TOMÁS SÁNCHEZ

Viernes/Friday 14 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: Montalvo
Matadores:
PEPÍN LIRIA,
en su despedida de la afición valenciana
JUAN BAUTISTA,
MATÍAS TEJELA

Sábado/Saturday 15 March
NOVILLADA PICADA/YOUNG BULLS AND FIGHTERS
Matinal/MORNING
Ganadería: Mª José Barral
Novilleros:
DÁMASO GONZÁLEZ,
ALEJANDRO ESPLA,
VICENTE MARRERO

Sábado/Saturday 15 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: Jandilla
Matadores:
FRANCISCO RIVERA ORDÓÑEZ,
JULIÁN LÓPEZ EL JULI,
DAVID FANDILA EL FANDI

Domingo/Sunday 16 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: Fuente Ymbro
Matadores:
JOSÉ PACHECO EL CALIFA,
MANUEL JESÚS EL CID,
MIGUEL ÁNGEL PERERA

Lunes/Monday 17 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: Las Ramblas
Matadores:
ENRIQUE PONCE,
MANUEL JESÚS EL CID,
CÉSAR JIMÉNEZ

Martes/Tuesday 18 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: Hermanos Gutierrez-Lorenzo y Carmen Lorenzo
Matadores:
PEDRO GUTIÉRREZ EL CAPEA,
ALEJANDRO TALAVANTE,
CAYETANO

Miércoles/Wednesday 19 March
CORRIDA DE REJONES/HORSEBACK BULLFIGHTING
Matinal/MORNING
Ganadería: Benítez Cubero
Rejoneadores:
JAVIER SAN JOSÉ,
ANDY CARTAGENA,
SERGIO GALÁN,
JOSÉ MIGUEL CALLEJÓN,
IVÁN MAGRO,
LEONARDO HERNÁNDEZ

Miércoles/Wednesday 19 March
CORRIDA DE TOROS/BULLFIGHT
Ganadería: J. Pedro Domecq
Matadores:
ENRIQUE PONCE,
JOSÉ Mª MANZANARES,
DAVID ESTEVE

Oh, but you don't have to look at the tragic part of it.
You don't look at the death aspect: but you look at what happens before that, at the bullfighting, where you slow the bull down, you break the bull and once you have done that you can try and show your artistry in front of the bull. It’s always been said that a bullfighter cannot know fear, only respect. Let's say that someone who is fearless - if you are not afraid of something it is because you don't know just how dangerous it is, and that makes it.... you are not afraid, it is a crazy thing, isn't it?

Luis Mariscal - Matador, talking to Robert Elms, Bullfighting Aficionado

Plaza De Toros Valencia

Designed by architect Sebastián Monleón the Plaza de Toros first saw use in May 1851. The design is based a Roman theater with a Doric Simple architectural style. The bullring structure is actually a 48-sided circle with the bullring being 52 meters in diameter. It currently seats just over 12,000

Bullfight terms and words

The Building

Plaza de Toros - Bullring
Toril - Enclosure for the bulls
Puerta grande - The main door to the arena
Gradas - Highest seats at the back of the ring (cheapest seats)
Barreras - Front seats
Sol/Sombra Sun/Shade - the choice as to where you sit
 

The Fighters, the Equipment and the Animals

Corrida - A Bullfighting show
Muleta - A small red cloth stretched over a stick (Palo)
Paseillo - The parade of fighters at the beginning
Matador - The top bullfighter
Picador - Fighter to weaken the bull
Novilladas - Beginners fights
Rejoneadores - Horse-mounted fighters
Capote - The red cape
Banderillas - Barbed darts on coloured shafts forced into the bull's shoulders
Espada - The matador's sword also called the Estoque
Puntilla - A dagger that is stabbed into the base of the bull's skull
Rejon - a metre and a half stick with a dagger on the end used by fighters on horseback
Novillo - Young Bull
Novilla - Young Cow
Eral - a Bull of between 1 and 2 years old
Toro - A fully grown Bull
Vaca - A Cow