One thing that Spain is renowed for is bullfighting. For many Spaniards it is an art form and courageous, but for many others around the world it is felt to be cruel in the extreme. Just as the UK banned fox hunting there is now a movement in Spain to ban bullfighting. In July 2010 the Catalonian parliament voted to ban it, the first region of mainland Spain to do so. The ban will take effect from January 2012.
Whilst the main and oldest bullring is in Barcelona, support for bullfighting has waned. Just as in the UK with foxhunting the argument against banning is that it will affect many livelihoods as well as possible tourism.
It has a deep rooted tradition and the fight usually lasts some 20 minutes. During this time the bull is stabbed several times before a fatal blow with a sword between the shoulder blades.
One of the most famous fans of bullfighting was Ernest Hemingway an America writer who wrote about it in his well known book.
A lesser known fact is that a woman called Cristina Sanchez who was born in 1972 in Madrid was also a famous bullfighter. Upon leaving school she started her working life in a beauty salon, but soon changed to bullfighting. Having been in bullrings in both Mexico and Ecuador she debuted in Madrid one week before her 21st birthday. She was a very successful female bullfighter having cut a total of 316 bull ears. This is a sign of conquest over the bull.
Cristina Sanchez was viewed by many people as a step towards the feminist movement in Spain in the 1990's, as bullfighting was and is still regarded as a macho sport. She retired however in 1999 as she felt she was not being given sufficient credit and top billings because she was a woman, indeed many of the male matadors refused to be billed alongside her. A film of her life can be obtained from the link below.
http://icarusfilms.com/new97/sunshadow.htmlWhy not come and see Spain for yourself visit http://www.senoritasinthesun.com/
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