Dear travellers,
Today I would like to continue a journey to Costa Rican fiesta and its main attraction – bull riding and fighting.
In order to do so, I would like to share with you a video that I created from films that I have found in the archives of my computer. I honestly forgot that I had them because I am not so used taking videos.
The video that lasts around 9 minutes, so it’s not very time-consuming. It will give a glimpse of how a South American fiesta in a small town looks like. It was registered in January 2015 with my smartphone and not a professional camera. So I kindly ask you to keep that in mind and don’t concentrate on quality :)
If only you would like to taste how it is to participate in a bull riding and fighting fiesta, the video is worth your time.
Bull riding and bullfighting.
Both bull riding and bullfighting are popular in Costa Rica and are part of its culture. Especially in one of the regions called “Guanacaste”, near the Pacific Ocean.
Why is that?
Guanacaste is known as "Cattle Country" and is also nicknamed the "the Texas of Costa Rica". With three quarters of Costa Rican cattle being raised there, Guanacaste has had a long history and culture shaped around cattle ranching.
source
There are two countries that pop out immediately when we think about bull riding or bullfighting: the United States of America and Spain. Their influence on Costa Rican bull “shows” can be easily spotted. Just like in the USA there are brave men who ride the bull. The one who stayed in the saddle for the longest period of time is a winner, get the prize and glory! Similarly to Spain, the bull is an adversary. Luckily, In Costa Rica there is a law prohibiting hurting an animal during the “fights”. Therefore the spectacle is not about a graceful toreador with his swords reaching the bull. On the contrary, the show is about “regular” people gathered on the arena that are daring to confront the beast. They run close to the bull, tease him and at the same time try to avoid stubbing. This is exactly what you will see in the video.
The first and shorter part of the video is a bull rodeo. There were several bull riders trying to stay in the saddle as long as possible. I registered one of them. Apparently he was doing really well.
The second part is a bull “fighting”. In this part, you will see people already in the arena waiting for the bull to be released. The loud Latin music is on, and an atmosphere among the public is very vibrant and festive. Locals are eating, drinking and singing. There were spectators everywhere, those more “courageous” (irresponsible?) sitting just outside the arena, on a wooden palisade. But there is also a visible anticipation in the air. Make sure to pay attention when the bull enters the arena because you can easily understand why this “show” is so dangerous for inexperienced “fighters”.
Thank you for being here with me. I hope until next time!
Pura Vida and enjoy the travel!:)
More about me here: You can travel without being wealthy aka a girl from a "struggling" family chasing her dreams!
Some of my recent stories from South America:
Curioussoul and the death road - la ruta de la muerte - Bolivia (part 1)
CurioussoulTravels on a budget: Reaching Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America
▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS