Where the Magic Happens

TWO BLOGS IN 2 DAYS?!!?! WHAT IS THIS MADNESS? but yeah, I'm doing another one, because there's a lot to talk about and to see, and if I don't tell you now, then I'll forget to tell you when I do get around to writing it. I'll skip another Wednesday or something, though I'm not sure I will ever be able to forget the last night of Fallas. But seeing as it hasn't happened yet, that's its own blog.

So yesterday morning I woke up and got out of the dorms and walked around and got my favorite apple pastry from the market, and then came back to the dorms and sat and read for a while, and then I wrote my blog. You know, the last one. At 2 I went up to the roof for the mascletà, since I didn't really have time to make it over to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, but I wanted to hear what I could. It wasn't exactly like being in the plaza itself, but being up on the roof was cool. It was a nice day and the echoes of the firecrackers off the surrounding roofs created a really cool effect. It was like the sound was coming from all around instead of just one place, and it really added depth to the sound.

Side note, I was reading the Fallas app yesterday (of course that exists) and when I got the section about the mascletà, I just laughed, because it said something like, "the mascletà is many Valencian's favorite part of Fallas, but it is also incredibly difficult to explain." So it's nice to know that it is not just me. On either of those things.

So then I went to lunch and very shortly went to the bullfight.

So, a little bit of background. I was really super nervous about going to this. I never really thought I would, because I kind of found them inhumane (still kind of do), and I don't really like sports, and... reasons. And I wouldn't have to worry about this, because I am in Spain for the Spring, and the bullfights are in the fall, so no pressure. I know it's a part of Spanish culture, but I felt like I wouldn't have to decide to go or not go. Except that they do bullfights for big festivals regardless of the season, including... Fallas. So then I actually had to make a decision, and I waffled for a while, but I finally just decided to go due to a lot of convincing and a personal promise that I could leave if I needed to.

But here's the thing, my dad has this saying, which I'm pretty sure isn't original to him, but he does a really excellent job of repurposing advice, so I'm gonna credit him. And I've always found this saying best described by a Venn Diagram:

Now, granted, the whole thing with studying abroad (or living in another country, or actually just living at all if you're doing it right), is that you pretty much spend all of your time

which is GREAT. Because as previously noted

And I think that's a big part of why study abroad can be such a magical experience. You open yourself to new experiences and discover new things and that's an incredible experience. I know it has been for me. 

So point being, I went to the dang bullfight, and as soon as I stepped out of my comfort zone, there were a bunch of college age boys playing really excellent and really fun music on the sax and drums in the street. Seriously, it was so much fun. Jess and I just stopped and listened for 15 minutes on our way to the Plaza de Toros. It was crazy, and everybody was really into it, both the band and the audience. It was just one of those absolutely spontaneous, wonderful, random things that winds up being a fantastic time. 

So then we continued on to the plaza, and after a few minutes of searching and trying to understand a seat-assigning system designed to make tourists weep, we made it to our seats and began to read the program

and take obligatory selfies. If you couldn't tell, our seats eventually led us to the nosebleed section, which was totally OK, because then we got to take stalker pictures of the rest of the town

 yeah, not joking.

This is your city on Fallas, kids. 

So, fair warning here:

I went to a bullfight yesterday. That means that I watched bulls (and one human and one horse) being stabbed and killed (NO HORSES OR HUMANS DIED TODAY. at least not in the bullring I was in). I'm sorry to put it like that. That's how it was. If you prefer not to read about that or see pictures, maybe skip to the end. I'll put a picture of fireworks when I stop talking about the gory stuff. Because it was a really interesting cultural experience, and a really interesting personal experience, and I'm going to talk about it in detail. So if you get bored when I do stuff like that, you can skip too. 

Alright, are we all assembled?

Great. 

So the program had some interesting information, and was thankfully in Castellano, not Valenciano, so I could read it. They talked some about the bulls, which was interesting, because even though it's in every word we use in English to refer to la corrida (bullfight in Spanish), I kind of didn't really think about the bulls as active participants, because, I mean, their fate is pretty decided, but at the same time, they are important to the sport. You have to have a worthy opponent if you want to have glory in a bloodsport, right? 

But I didn't understand a lot of what they said about the bulls. Strangely, none of my Spanish teachers covered cattle-specific vocabulary. Go figure. 

I did, however, understand what they said about the matadors. 

So today there were 3 matadors who were (supposed) to fight two bulls each. The first was Jesús Duque, who will henceforth be referred to as "baby bullfighter" or probably just "baby". Because he is 23 years old, and today was his presentation as a matador. So it was kind of a big deal for him. The second was Enrique Ponce (Ponce as he is known to his adoring public. That was only about 50% a joke) who has been fighting bulls since before baby bullfighter was born. Ponce also happens to be a doctor of bullfighting according to the program (no. I do not understand. I am just as confused as you are. But, I mean, they do have schools...) and the godfather (I think that you get a godfather when you get confirmed as a matador. This sounds like a weird cult now that I stop to explain it... Wow. I think it might be a cult. That changes things.) to the final matador, Julian... I forget his last name, because his adoring public calls him "El Juli" (that was absolutely 0% a joke. He's actually famous. And people actually call him that.) This guy is somewhere in his 30s and, as previously noted, pretty famous. So, basically, I picked a good fight to go see.

Oh, and this is who they are

 That's baby, in the gold sparkles with the tan legs

 This is Ponce. I didn't get very many pictures of him, because, well...

 umm... we'll get there.

And that's El Juli, in the gold sparkles and the purple pants. 

So yeah, Jess and I were both pretty nervous and a little confused, and had no actual clue what to expect, and then it just kind of... happened. 

 So it sort of started with pomp and circumstance

 and there was a kind of parade thing

 featuring lots of men in sparkly and colorful outfits with pink socks.

 I'm not going to lie, I was taking the mickey out of the outfits just a little bit.

And those capes are... oh, I'll get to it. 

But yeah, and then kind of all of a sudden, 

There was a bull in the ring. 

So basically in the first stage of the fight, a bunch of what Jess and I in all our Southern heritage referred to as "glorified rodeo clowns" (that is not a slur on either rodeo clowns, or the insane brave men inside the ring with that bull) wave those magenta and yellow capes at the bull to show him off, run him around, get him angry (all bulls used in the arena weigh over 1,000 pounds. Just sayin'), and then they run back behind special barriers VERY VERY QUICKLY. Seriously, you think running backwards looks dumb? It looks like the smartest thing ever when an angry bull is headed your way. And I looked at those horns. They are SHARP. 

But yeah, see, people waving capes, running, and in the top left corner, hiding. 

So then the matador goes in the middle with HIS magenta and yellow cape (so stylish) and teases the bull for a little bit, shows off, wears him out. 

Then they bring in the horses. 

Who I somehow neglected to get a picture of. Though I did get an especially memorable video... 

Anyway, the horses (who are blindfolded throughout this entire process, I might add. Though it totally makes sense, because let's be real, that horse would FLIP OUT if it saw the bull coming towards it. Because that's actually the whole point of the horse, make the bull run towards it. Fun job, eh? Don't worry, they do have padding.) come out and the riders of the horses attract the attention of the bull, who runs towards the horse and tries to gore it. while the bull is distracted trying to kill the horse (who, as perviously mentioned is extremely well protected against this eventuality), the guy on top of the horse sticks a very long, sharp stick in the bull's neck. Twice. This is to draw blood to weaken the bull, and to damage the muscles and nerves in the bull's neck, so that its head can't lift too high, which makes it easier for the matador.  In addition, the bull will try to lift and throw the horse (more on that later), which is also important, since it exacerbates the damage done by the stick.

So then the horses leave and the clowns come back in and make the bull run around some more, before taking two very sharp sticks and running at the bull and attempting to stick them in the bull's neck (seriously? who thought this was a good idea? this whole thing?). Here's a step by step

 He faces the bull (oh, side note, this isn't the matador, this is just another really really brave guy with a really really crappy job) with the sticks in each hand, and then

 RUNS STRAIGHT AT THE ANGRY INJURED BULL,

 STICKS THE POINTY THINGS IN THE BULL'S NECK

and then runs as fast as he can towards that red barrier. Seriously, those guys move quickly. I saw them go over that barrier to get away from that bull. But also, as you can see, the sticks stay in the bull's neck. Sometimes they fall out, but I think they're just sort of supposed to stay there. And they serve basically the same purpose as the lance did: weaken the bull, loss of blood, damage muscles and nerves in the neck.

And then, the matador comes back with the traditional red cape and sword. This is the famous bit. 

So the matador basically puts on a show here. He uses the cape to direct the bull and move it around him. If he's good, the point is to get the bull as close to him as possible without, ya know, dying. Then, at some point, he goes and trades out his sword for a sharper one (because the first one us just used to support the cape) and then, once the bull is exhausted, he stabs it through the back. The goal is to get it through the heart in a single stab, and that takes a lot of skill. The bull also doesn't die immediately, even if he hits the heart, and after it has fallen down, one of the rodeo clowns comes and knives it in the back of the skull to sever the spinal cord and kill it. 

And then the body is dragged off by a team of mules

So that's the basic gist of what happened yesterday. 

So the first fight was baby bullfighter, and, though I realized later that it was not the best match of the fight, it was very interesting. As previously mentioned, baby is only 23, and even before we saw the other bullfighters, it was really obvious that he was 23. Obviously he is very talented and impressive, but he's got both a young energy, and the exact same cockiness you would expect for a college boy to have. He had a very "come and get it" attitude towards the bull, and the machismo, oh the machismo (that's an English word too, right?). I mean, this sport is incredibly macho in the first place (not one woman on the field) but as can be expected, he played that up even more than the others. But, he was successful, and he did a good job. He also started the main part of the fight on his knees, which I personally think is terrifying. But yeah, he got a parade around the arena at the end of the round, and everybody threw flowers (I honestly didn't know they did that anymore.) and hats and it was kind of cool. 

But as for the fight itself... I'm not gonna lie, the most disturbing part of the fights for me yesterday was how quickly I got desensitized. Because for the first fight, I was pretty horrified. The first blood I saw on the bull, the bull charging into the horses, the death blow, it was all... too much for me. I almost left before the fight was over, and I almost didn't stay for the next one. And actually, when she saw the fight and especially when the bull was charging the horses, in that first fight even Jess questioned the wisdom of our decision to come.

But then I got used to it. Everything stopped bothering me. I know that sounds awful, but it did. By the final fight my thoughts were far less "OHMYGOSHTHEY'REKILLINGTHEBULL" and far more "oh! that sword did not go in far enough! Bad form!" And really that disturbed me more than anything. I mean, I know that it is a custom and a sport and that the death of the bull is inevitable from the moment it walks into the arena, but I don't know. I thought it would be harder to get used to than it was.

So the second match was Ponce, the most senior matador there. And it was obvious. Baby moved like a kid, and he moved like the rodeo clowns (because that's what he had spent time doing before graduating to the main event). He was all quick dodges and cockiness. Ponce moved very purposefully. He posed, he waited. It was impressive. Far less showy, but far more artful.

And yeah, he was good. It was clear that this was someone who was an expert, who knew what he was doing, and who had practiced a lot.

Unfortunately, as we learned at the end of the match, begin good at bullfighting does not make up for being 43 and still playing a pro sport. I don't have pictures, but when Ponce went to stab the bull, he got gored. It hit him under the armpit and knocked him to the ground. The clowns came out and distracted the bull, getting him away from Ponce, and eventually quietly killing him while Ponce was assisted, then carried off. When he took off the jacket you could see the blood under his arm, as I showed you in the beginning. I went on wikipedia last night, and apparently it broke his collarbone and some ribs. The worst part is that he was recovering from a goring, and that he was only recently back in competition. So that was... dramatic and a little terrifying, and sad. I mean, these guys are so good, that it can be easy to forget just how dangerous what they are doing is, and despite all his calm confidence and deliberation, his reflexes aren't what they used to be.

So next up was El Juli, and I'm gonna be honest here, it's obvious why he's famous. He combines the energy and showmanship of the baby with the confidence and deliberation of Ponce.

 He moved a lot more, and a lot more quickly than Ponce did.

 And he let that bull get close to him.

I mean, the guy knew what he was doing. His killings weren't quite as clean as baby's were (interestingly), but he managed to do the job. He actually fought the match right after Ponce's and then the next one as well (which I kind of find incredible) because, well, there were 6 bulls, and Ponce wasn't going to fight his second one. In fact, I'm about positive that Ponce, who was supposed to be in the fights today as well, will not be there.

So yeah, he fought two in a row, and it was impressive. In the second round, though, one of the horses whose riders stick the bull first got flipped. The bull came charging at him, like usual, and then the rider stuck the bull, but the bull already had his horns under the horse, and was strong enough to flip the horse over onto his back, which I caught on video. It was crazy. The rider managed to get off, but there were people literally pulling the bull's tail trying to get it away from the horse, while the rodeo clowns waved the capes in its face, and finally the bull backed off and they managed to right the horse. It didn't seem injured, and they used it again in the final two round of the fight.

But after El Juli's second bull, baby bullfighter came back, and gave a very impressive performance, quickest kill of the day actually. And it was really cool. I mean, this was his first big fight, and he was up there with some famous bullfighters, and there had been a goring, and this kid just goes out there like

And says a little prayer (I would be praying too if I knew that a bull was about to come towards me) and then goes and does a fantastic job. Because, you know, nobody puts Baby in a corner. (Sorry. I had to) At the end he paraded around the stadium, and people threw flowers and hats and jackets and purses and boda bags (which are leather pouches filled with alcohol) for him to take a drink from, and somebody tied a fallero bandana around his neck, and he got flowers from this adorable little boy, and he looked so incredibly happy. It was such a cool thing to witness.

Then El Juli came back and fought the last bull of the night, and also the biggest. It was really impressive and absolutely nuts, but he did a great job with the beginning of the fight. He didn't get the sword far enough in when he went for the kill, and he had to stab the bull twice, which was admittedly fewer times than he had stabbed it in a previous round. But he still won, and then they paraded El Juli and Baby around the stadium on their shoulders.

And everybody was just having a great time.

It was interesting, because in the moment, when the matador is playing with the bull, it is like a dance, but then when the kill is made it feels like a sport. Everybody waves something white (cushions, paper, handkerchiefs) at the matador, and then there's this moment of anticipation when somebody gives some verdict (I honestly don't understand this part. All I know is that everybody would look at this guy, and then he would hang a piece of colored cloth, and everybody would react. And then the matadors sometimes got trophies for the kill: an ear or two depending on how well they did, and at one point they threw an ear into the crowd, and it got tossed around (nowhere near me. Thank goodness.) and it was just a crazy sporting event.

So, I still have a lot of mixed opinions about bullfighting. It was an interesting, and ultimately enjoyable experience. I do still think that it's pretty inhumane, but I also recognize that after a while that didn't bother me or particularly detract from my enjoyment. I also understand it much better now, and, while I kind of wish I had gone with a Spaniard to explain to me some of the intricacies of the custom, I feel like I have learned a lot about something new.

Ok guys, the gory details are over. And look, aren't those fireworks pretty?

So after the bullfight we walked back and went to dinner. After dinner I went back down to the Calle Iluminada (um... street lights?) that I visited before, because they were supercool. I really love visiting those, even if it was a bit crowded. And on the way there was a light show, and the fallera mayor and her court were starting the ofrenda from city hall (Wow. I just realized how much I am living in Fallas. Those words would have been gibberish to me a few months ago) and so I got to watch them all parade out in their dresses. And more than anything, it was just amazing being out. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but the atmosphere during Fallas is just indescribable. I'm really going to miss it.

So I went to see the lights one last time, and then rushed back to the dorm so that Jess and I could leave for the final night of fireworks.

We walked over to the bridge and sat and waited for a little over an hour, and then they started. The last night is the most impressive, and it really was. The fireworks were just amazing, and I am so sad that they are over. Going to see those fireworks, and standing there with all those people is absolutely one of my favorite feelings in the world, and it became part of my routine so quickly, that I'm not sure what I'll do without it.

So then I came back and I wrote the first half of this blog, and then I realized how late it was an went to sleep instead.

As Fallas is drawing to a close, I have realized that I am going to miss it. I mean, I totally understand why the Valencians flee the city, but I have really loved the whole experience, and it's been totally crazy. Because let's be real, Fallas is pretty firmly

I am a pyrophobe who dislikes crowds and loud noises, who doesn't drink, and doesn't party. While Fallas is a massive non-stop party with lots of alcohol and even more people, many of whom are making loud noises or setting off fireworks, and the entire premise of the festival is centered around loud noises, pyrotechnics, and setting things on fire. Even the name comes from the Latin word for torch.

But Fallas has been truly magical. It has been an incredible experience, and one that I'm going to remember forever. It is so fun and joyous, and it is incredible to see the city so alive and so beautiful, and to watch all the hard work and effort that has gone into these festivities on all levels. So I am grateful for Fallas, not just because it has been so fantastic, but because it has done an excellent job of reminding me what I too often forget: