Turlock, United States, July 17 (AFP\/APP): Just like any other Portuguese bullfight, the elegant rider deftly guides his horse around the charging bull’s horns, before bending down to plant a bandarilha in its spine.<\/p>\n
Except that no blood is spilled — the small spear is velcro-padded, and sticks to a cushion attached to the bull’s back — and most of the spectators’ cheers are in English.<\/p>\n
The scene takes place in Turlock, a small town in the heart of rural California, where tens of thousands of Portuguese-Americans have lived for decades, keeping the traditions of their ancestral homeland alive, not least bullfighting.<\/p>\n
But due to Californian law, there can be no bloodshed.<\/p>\n
“The first time I came here in California, 15 years ago, it was like ‘woah, amazing’ because they have everything like Portugal,” said Joao Soller Garcia, a “cavaleiro” or horse rider, who travelled from Lisbon to take part in the bullfight.<\/p>\n
“Go to a bullfight in Portugal and it’s the same thing,” he said shortly before entering the arena to be applauded by some 4,000 spectators.<\/p>\n
The majority of the crowd are of Portuguese descent — mainly immigrants from the Azores islands, who began to settle this agricultural area in the early 20th century.<\/p>\n
The community has been growing ever since, with its own newspapers, radio stations and associations.<\/p>\n
– ‘Our lifestyle’ –<\/p>\n
Some 350,000 Californians proudly claim Portuguese heritage, and often remain fiercely attached to their culture and language.<\/p>\n
This is the case for Jose, 30, who came to watch the bullfight with friends.<\/p>\n
Born in California, he switches from English to Portuguese seemingly without noticing.<\/p>\n
“It comes naturally to me. A lot of people here speak Portuguese in their daily life, even the younger ones, “he said.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes it is easier for me to express my feelings or to joke in Portuguese. Portuguese is a very emotional language,” he added.<\/p>\n
Above the arena, the Portuguese flag flies alongside the American flag and the Portuguese national anthem strikes up before its US counterpart.<\/p>\n
The bullfight itself is organized by a religious group, led by Antonio Mendes, a cattle breeder in his 70s who revived the tradition in 1993.<\/p>\n
“We’re Portuguese and that’s part of our lifestyle, especially the island that I’m from — it’s just rooted,” he said.<\/p>\n
– Grab by the horns –<\/p>\n
Portuguese bullfights differ from the Spanish style, in that the animal is never killed in the arena.<\/p>\n
But in traditional Portuguese events, the bull has been weakened by several bandarilha strikes by the time the “forcados” — eight men with no horses or protection — enter the arena to tackle the animal with their bare hands.<\/p>\n
Because the bulls in Turlock are not hurt, breeders like Mendes have created a bloodline which is just as combative, but less heavy.<\/p>\n
“Here the bulls weigh about 900 to 1000 pounds, because it’s bloodless. In Portugal, they are 1300, 1400 pounds. Big bulls,” said George Martins, a “forcado” captain.<\/p>\n
Teams like Martins’ are often dubbed “suicide squads” for a reason — one of them literally has the task of grabbing the bull by the horns, suffering powerful headbutts to the stomach as his companions wrestle with the animal.<\/p>\n
“It’s not just brute strength… it takes a lot of technique,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turlock, United States, July 17 (AFP\/APP): Just like any other Portuguese bullfight, the elegant rider deftly guides his horse around the charging bull’s horns, before bending down to plant a bandarilha in its spine. Except that no blood is spilled — the small spear is […]<\/p>\n
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