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Bull Fight

Already in 1451 a temporary arena was constructed in Lisbon for the wedding of a Portuguese princess. The bulls were then attacked with spears - this was the foundation for today's "Corrida" or "Tourada". Slowly, the bull fights spread all across the country. Before a big earthquake in 1755 there were 5 arenas in Lisbon alone.

The Portuguese bull fights was usually practiced by the royal family and other aristocrats by horse. One can still see the links - the "cavaleiros", as they're called, are still dressed in the traditional aristocratic clothes. Before the actual bull fight they enter the arena with their following. They show the skills and training of their horses during the "cortesías".

Besides the mounted bullfighters there are also the "Banderillos", also known from Spain. They are not armed in Portugal, but serve to distract the bull and direct him to different parts of the arena in case of an unwanted incident.

Once the cavaleiro set all his spears he leaves the arena - now it's time for the "forcados" to catch the bull. They're a group of 8 uniformed men that position themselves in a line, the front man being their leader, called "cabo". He wears a green hat and provokes the bull until he's attacked, which is when he'll hold on to the bull's horns. The bull will continue to run forward, trying to lose the unwanted visitor and will then be stopped by the other forcados. This is called the "pega" - the bull stops, held by 8 men. 7 of these will release the bull and the last one will hold on to its tail; the bull tries to shake him off by running in circles.

Also worth mentioning is the appearance of the bull. On the day before the corrida his horns will be cut a little - this is a rule in Portuguese bull fights to protect man and horse. Both of the horns will be covered with special leather headgear. Unlike in Spain, Portuguese bull fights do not rely on the bull's death in front of the audience - he leaves the arena with a group of cows or younger bulls and retuns to the stables.

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