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The Bullfight
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Bullfighting
, or more properly
tauromachie
(roughly, "the art of the bull"), comes in two styles in Arles and the Camargue. In the local
courses camarguaises
, which are held at
fA?tes
from late spring to early autumn (the most prestigious of which is Arles' Cocarde d'Or in early July),
razeteurs
run at the bulls in an effort to pluck ribbons and cockades tied to the bulls' horns, cutting them free with special barbed gloves. The drama and grace of the spectacle is in the stylish way the men leap over the barrier away from the bull, and in the competition for prize money between the
razeteurs
. In this gentler bullfight, people are rarely injured and the bulls are not killed.
More popular, however, is the brutal Spanish-style
corrida
(late April, early July & September, at Arles), consisting of a strict ritual leading up to the all-but-inevitable death of the bull. After its entry into the ring, the bull is subjected to the
bandilleros
who stick decorated barbs in its back, the
picadors
, who lance it from horseback, and finally, the
torero
, who endeavours to lead the bull through as graceful a series of movements as possible before killing it with a single sword stroke to the heart. In one
corrida
six bulls are killed by three
toreros
, for whom injuries (sometimes fatal) are not uncommon. Whether you approve or not,
tauromachie
, which has a history of some centuries here, is your best way of taking part in local life and of experiencing the Roman arena in Arles (at 40-100F/a?¬6.10-15.25 per seat). The tourist office, local papers and publicity around the arena will give you the details. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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