Now, the bulls aren’t that exciting on TV. I mean, it’s entertaining, but it’s anything but intelligent entertainment or humor, so I didn’t watch too much. As far as I know, there is no actual bullfighting with matadors and all that. There is bull riding, like in rodeos, and there were bull riders from the States, Brazil, and a few other countries. I don’t follow bull-riding back home, so I have no idea if these guys were any good at all, but I’m sure my frat brother Jeff could let me know. T
here were also cowboys lassoing the bulls after they were ridden. In fact, the kick-off event of the festival is a tope (toe-pay), which is a parade of anyone and everyone with a horse, riding through the streets, and los of toping by the participants (no idea if there is any etymological relation between the two different words). I didn’t prejudicially associate Costa Rica with cowboy culture, but, at least in some regions, there seems to be a lot of cattle raising. Maybe all the cattle farms are just by the highways, but along with the sugar cane, pineapples, and bananas, there are a lot of cows. Thus, a healthy dose of cowboy culture. Which I obviously love.Besides the bull riding and lassoing, there is one aspect of the bull festival that makes it note and blog worthy. Los toreros improvisados (improvisational bullfighters), or just improvisados for short. So, if you’re of age (18), have little or no regard for your personal safety, and line up early in the day at a special line by the stadium, you can get in the ring-with the bull, and little else. From what I learned on the news, the improvisados are not supposed to have anything on their person except their clothes/costume and their national ID card. Although, in person, it looked like some had snuck in their cell phones as well. So, you ask, is there just a bunch of people in the bullring with a bull? Indeed.
I, like you most likely, also thought this was totally ridiculous when I first saw the advertisements a few days before Christmas, but that’s bulls Costa Rican style. This happens twice a day, at 15:00 and then at 20:00, every day for about ten days. And, well, there are other festivals in other cities throughout January. And yes, it’s about as crazy as you thi
nk. There are maybe one hundred to one hundred and fifty people in the bull ring. Some have sweet costumes, although most wear jeans and a t-shirt from one of the many companies sponsoring the event. There is a group of guys with special shirts that kind of manage the group, and usually bring the stretcher when someone needs to be carted off. Otherwise, it’s pretty much run around, try to get the bull to react, but not to react so much as to run one down and gore him. Most are successful on this last part, most, not all. You can make the front page of La Teja, Costa Rica’s absolute trash (yet I think most circulated) newspaper if you are so lucky (or unlucky) to be de-pantsed by the bull. This newspaper and Cacique, a distillery, also give out cash prizes to the improvisado showing the most courage/stupidity.The absolute best part about the night was when the firefighters came out. Apparently every year the bull festival honors some public service group, and this year more than one hundred firemen and women from all around the country got into the ring with the bulls. Yes, I said bulls. Normally, there is just one bull out with all the improvisados, but they pulled out all the stops for the firefighters. After walking a circle around the stadium with posters warning
of letting kids play with fireworks, and having the fire truck sound the sirens, the truck left, the firefighters got into position, and out came bull number one. Included in the ring was what might be the best invention ever, a four way teeter-totter, which generally attracts the bull, and puts the occupants in all sorts of danger. It was fun seeing all the firefighters in their bright yellow polos run around avoiding the bull. Then, the fireworks lit up (no irony to the now discarded warning signs, none at all), the horn sounded, and out came bull number two. He was smaller, and I assume, younger than the first, and a lot spunkier. My favorite firefighter was an agile, well built, bald guy that I think ended up getting rammed five times by the end of the night, but seemed fine, with just some dirty laundry to take home. Oh, then came out bull number three. And, oh yeah, no big deal, another. That’s right, four bulls were meandering around the ring, looking for an unsuspecting human to go after. I don’t know if it was the big stage and national television, or just the type of people that are firefighters, but they were much more daring and entertaining than the people that had waited all day in line to participate.
(yeah, I caught a Rayovac fanny pack)
All in all, the improvisados were incredibly entertaining live, although they do seem to be harassing the bull for fun, and it lacks any of the artistry or skill that real bullfighting entails. On the other hand, I guess the bulls are huge and have horns, and I think the bulls just go back to the ranch until the next year, so I can’t make a stiff moral judgement of the event. But, much like a NASCAR race, where people watch as much for the crashes as the racing, much of the attraction of the improvisados is when they do get pummeled, not when they deftly escape. I was actually talking to my program director about it, who had gone one night with friends, and I think he put it well, in that “it was great to go to, but I’ll probably only go once.” I agree, that is unless, I decide to throw caution and prudence to the wind and become an improvisado…
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