After spending time in the Camargue it was time to head into Arles. Known as the town where Vincent van Gogh removed a chunk of his ear, our main reason for heading there was to see a bullfight. In the middle of town sits a 2,000 year-old Roman Arena where gladiators fought wild animals. Today they’re still fighting wild animals to an extent, as every Wednesday night they hold bullfights called The Course Camarguaise. Rest-assured we did our homework, and in Arles it’s more of a nonviolent bullgame than it is the typical bloody Spanish bullfight. In fact they like to promote that these bulls die of old age.
In the bullgame, four ribbons (cocarde) are laced on and between the bull’s horns. The bullfighter, known as the raseteur, then uses a special hook (crochet) to try and snare one of the ribbons. Eight rasetuers, all dressed in white, are in the ring at once and are paid based on the ribbons they collect. Each bull is in the ring for 15 minutes unless all of his ribbons are collected. But in the course we saw, none of the eight bulls that fought lost all their ribbons. With the bull guarding its territory, the raseteur starts his course and triggers off the charge of the bull. When they meet, the raseteur will use his crochet to try and snag one of the ribbons. With the bull right on his heels, he then escapes by jumping over the barrier. If the bull pulls a good stunt, he is saluted with the famous “Toreador” song from Carmen. The following day, newspapers report on the games, including how many Carmens the bull earned.
In these games the bulls are equally as famous, if not more so, than their human foes. In fact some of the greats have even earned their own statues. We didn’t know exactly what we were in for, but as we left the arena we found ourselves reflecting on what a truly unique and entertaining experience it was.
After the 15 minutes are up, if the bull refuses to return to the bull-pen, they send out his mother wearing a big cowbell to round him up. It’s pretty comical and works every time.
