Bullfighting

Bullfighting in Portugal remains true to its equestrian origins. As part of their training, medieval Portuguese and Spanish knights honed their equestrian skills and developed the dexterity of their horses in combat with the notoriously belligerent and agile Iberian fighting bulls. Long after these dangerous exercises lost their military utility, the noblemen continued to practice them. Displays of skill and courage, staged in castle courtyards and town squares, gradually evolved into today's spectacles.

In Spain, the evolution of bullfighting has produced the dramatic figure of the matador, a solitary figure who fights a deadly duel with his opponent from a proletarian position, on the ground. In Portugal, however, the aristocratic tradition of the horseman bullfighter has remained intact (though following a decree by the Marquês de Pombal in the 18th century, bulls aren't killed in Portuguese rings). The star of the Portuguese show is the elegant cavaleiro,costumed as an 18th-century nobleman, with plumed hat and embroidered coat. The aim of the bullfight—known as the tourada—is to show off the courtly skills of the horse and its rider. Even today, horseback bullfighters tend to come from the wealthy and aristocratic segments of society, whereas the greatest matadors have typically come from more humble origins.

During a bullfight the horse must make precisely timed movements to avoid being gored and to best position its rider for placing the darts. Using exceptional equestrian skills, the cavaleiro provokes the bull and, just inches away from the animal's padded horns, deftly places a colorfully festooned bandarilha (dart) in a designated part of the bull's back. With each pass of an ever-shorter bandarilha, the danger to horse and rider increases—in spite of the bull's blunted horns. At the proper moment, when the bull is sufficiently fatigued, the final dart is placed, and with a flourish the cavaleiro exits the arena.

The stage is now set for the pega, an audacious display of bravery with burlesque overtones. A group of eight men—called the forcados—dressed in bright-crimson vests and green stocking caps parades into the arena, and the leader, hands on hips, confronts the tired but still-enraged bull. When the bull charges, the leader meets him head on with a leap and literally seizes the bull by the horns. While he tries to hang on to the furious bull's head, suspended between its horns, the other men rush in and, with one of them hanging on to its tail, try to force the animal to a standstill. At times this can be an amusing sight, but there's an ever-present element of danger (forcados have been killed during the pega). At the end of the spectacle, a few cows are led in to lure the bull from the ring. If he has shown exceptional bravery, the bull will be spared for stud purposes; otherwise, he will be slaughtered for the meat.