Bullfighting festival cites: the days of most famous fights

Added: 01/31/2006

Traditionally, the culmination of all the bullfighting culture is a bullfighting festival. It is an event, lasting for several days, the days of the most famous fights, singing and dancing, lavish city decorations and day and night entertainment. A bullfighting festival brings in the best matadors of the world, whom you will not see during traditional bullfights. Some bullfighting festival cities drive a million visitors during the event, and no visitor leaves disappointed. Although not everyone likes bullfighting, the festival comprises much more than the fight between the man and the bull.

Once a year, several major cities of Spain, Mexico, France, Portugal and of some other countries, holding bullfights, turn into bright, colorful and entertaining communities for several days. A bullfighting festival is perhaps an exhaust of all energy, which ambitious people of bullfighting festival cites have accumulated throughout the year. Bullfighting festival cities such as Madrid, Seville or Pamplona make huge financial investments and maintain a great amount of work to entertain, sometimes, a million of travelers, visiting a city during those days. The bullfighting festival time varies; for instance, it coincides with the Easter in Seville and there are fixed dates in large bullfighting festival cities.

The most important bullfighting festival in the world is the festival of San Isidro in Madrid. The festival features celebrations, fairs, concerts, dances and the romeria, a kind of pilgrimage, to the ermita de San Isidro (the 18th century chapel). The festival runs from May, 8 to 15 with numerous bullfights on the famous Las Ventas Arena.

Seville, one of Spanish bullfighting festival cites, has a bullfighting festival as a part of the Feria de Abril (the April Fair), which starts the night of April, 14. The bullfighting festival is the greatest event of the fair, but it also features a wide array of exciting events, which turn the city into a myriad of lights, music and common joy. They have a beautiful pilgrimage, full of light and colors, called Romeria del Rocio Whitsuntide, when four "Brotherhoods" cross the city in decorated, spectacular carriages, bound for the Hermitage, accompanied by pilgrims on horsebacks or on foot, and all dressed up in their local costumes.

Barcelona, Valencia, is among the famous bullfighting festival cites in Spain. The festival in Barcelona starts on June, 22 and comprises a series of interesting events, such as the Flower Offerings to Our Lady of Remedy (22, June), the International Folklore Parade (23, June) and the mascletos or fireworks competitions (20-24, June). The bullfighting performances bring in the best matadors both on foot and on horsebacks.

In France, this is Nimes that hosts the annual Harvesting Feria and the Corridas. The festival is renowned throughout the country and takes place on the 3rd Thursday of September. The festival is held in the honor of grape harvesting; hence, here is a possibility not only to watch the best of French bullfights, but also to experience the taste of the finest French wines. In general, Nimes is a fascinating city with a variety of activities throughout the year.

Jinju, Korea, is also one of bullfighting festival cites. Generally, Jinju bullfighting is the first bullfighting of all Korean traditional bullfighting. It was originated from the Three Kingdom Period and has been maintained as its original form up to the present. This festival is held on a nationwide scale during the Gaecheon Art Festival, annually from October, 3 to October, 10.

Although bullfighting is a common feature of all bullfighting festivals, each festival city has unique traditions and customs, distinguishing one festivity from another and making each celebration unique and unrepeatable.

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