Spain is the world’s famous “Bullfighting Kingdom”. Some people say: There is no festival in Spain that does not include bullfighting, and there is no area in Spain that does not like to watch bullfighting. In recent years, 50 million foreign tourists have entered Spain every year, and most of them come to watch bullfights.
Spain has a long history of bullfighting, and the Bullfighting Festival began in the 13th century. Now, there are more than 400 large and small bullrings in Spain, and the largest bullring can accommodate 20,000 people. There are more than 5,000 bullfights every year.
The bulls used in bullfighting are specially raised and kept in rural areas, and they should be kept as few people as possible. The stocking time is 4-6 years.
An entrance ceremony is held for the bullfight. The music played first is majestic and unrestrained. As the music plays, the matador enters. They wore embroidered tights, leggings and three-cornered hats. Matadors usually come in 2O names, and their team is led by two knights who circle the arena to pay tribute to the audience. After this, the host announces the start of the bullfight.
A bullfighting show involves six bulls, and their weight ranges from 370 to 500 kilograms. Each bull fight takes about 20 minutes. The name, age and weight of each cow are introduced to the audience by the host.
The matador must be introduced to the audience. Whenever a famous bullfighter is introduced, the audience will give thunderous applause.
The level of a matador depends not only on his skill in teasing the bull, but also on whether he has the ability to kill the bull with a sword. Anyone who can kill a bull with one sword will be rewarded by the host with an ox ear; if he has always been excellent in teasing, he will also be rewarded with an ox tail.
The most famous bullfighter in contemporary Spain is Cordobes. In August 1965, 64 bulls were killed by his sword, setting a record for the most bulls killed in one month.
Spanish people are very friendly and usually like to show this warmth when they meet each other. Greetings between relatives are often hugs and kisses. When you meet elders, you will also be given a few passionate kisses. For strangers who meet for the first time, they often shake hands to get to know each other. Men will sometimes pat each other on the arms or shoulders, and women will give each other two kisses on the left and right cheeks. When you are a guest in a Spanish home, it is best not to sit in silence and try to express your feelings to the host as much as possible. Whether it's laying out a family photo album for you or showing you around your home, you can express your opinion. If a Spanish friend invites you to his home for dinner, you need to bring a gift to the host: a bottle of wine or some desserts will do. The host will always say a few words, such as "I'm sorry to trouble you," and other polite phrases.
Spaniards tend to have their own set of home customs. They never take off their shoes when entering the house, and are accustomed to walking around the house wearing outdoor shoes; some families also keep birds. Although bread is always served when eating, soup is never served with it. When eating fish, the raw fish head is often kept and served on a separate plate on the table to show the freshness of the food. Television is the focal point of family life. Spaniards are accustomed to turning on the TV as soon as they get home. Even though the family is busy in other rooms, the TV is always playing. This small screen is like the head of the family, hosting family gatherings and accompanying the whole family to meals, but in fact no one pays special attention to it.
After 10 pm, unless there is an emergency or a close friend, it is generally not appropriate to hang up the phone to a private person, because the limited time in the evening belongs to the individual. Nowadays, some unmarried children stay in their parents' homes until they are in their 30s, mostly not to maintain family ties but to succumb to financial constraints. Although the traditional family model has experienced various crises, "home" is still the basic structure of Spanish society.
Spaniards are particularly fond of taking to the streets, walking and shopping, looking at the people around them, and also like to be noticed. Every time before leaving the house, even if it only takes a few minutes to do a small thing nearby, I have to dress up from top to bottom before showing up. However, this kind of dress is more casual, after all, I am not going to a banquet. In the past, the central square of small towns was often the first choice for people to take a walk. Everyone circles around the square, meeting each other many times, and a sense of satisfaction arises from being watched and scrutinized.
The bar is a social place for Spanish people. In their time schedule, in addition to working, eating and sleeping, they also have to include time at the bar. There, friends gather together to chat, play cards, taste various snacks, or watch a football match. Sometimes they just take a break from the busy schedule. There is always a TV set that is on all day long in the bar, and its high decibel volume is enough to cover up the piercing screams of the slot machines: this kind of gaming machine is also a sight in every bar; as everyone knows, Spain is the best in gambling. European countries that spend the most money. It is worth mentioning that when checking out at the bar, it is rare for each person to pay the bill. Because they usually come in groups, one person always pays the bill first, and the next time, another person takes the initiative to take the order, so everyone always takes turns.
The topics that Spaniards chat about in bars are usually football matches, social news and some family matters mixed with gossip. People like to communicate directly and are not very welcome to use pen and ink to express their opinions.
Of course, they will also be more than happy to send and receive greeting cards with touching words during the Christmas season. In terms of addressing each other, Spaniards are increasingly moving away from the use of the honorific "you" and only reserve it when talking to strangers, older people or superiors. In addition, the Spaniards never seem to attach much importance to "punctuality" and never regard it as a criterion for measuring a person's character, so they usually leave a few minutes of "polite waiting" time after the agreed time.
Almost 80% of Spaniards claim to be Catholics, but now only older people visit churches for mass. However, the wedding of a young couple, the baptism of a newborn and the child's first Holy Communion must be held in the church. Obviously, the Spaniards closely integrated religious activities with folk customs. As soon as the religious ceremonies in the church were completed, civil activities followed closely. When the newlyweds walk out of the church, people rush to scatter rice grains on their heads (nowadays, rose petals are often used instead) to wish for more children in the future; whenever the baptism is over, people also throw out candies and coins for the children to share. After all the proceedings are over, the host usually hosts a banquet in a hotel to entertain the guests. However, Catholic doctrine has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people for generations. Several major events in life, including funeral ceremonies, must be completed in the church, although many believers only enter the door of the temple at these moments.