Cheongdo bullfighting
A centuries old bullfighting tradition held every March draws large crowds and teaches valuable lessons
A five day centuries old bullfighting festival in Cheongdo ended Sunday that drew 480,000 spectators during the weeklong event, according to Yonhap.
However, in contrast to Spanish bullfighting, there is no matador. Bulls fight each other, usually without bloodshed or death. Organizers say serious injuries are rare.
"The bulls fight each other," Cheongdo county mayor Lee Joong-Geun told AFP. "Whereas the bullfighter is always the winner in the Spanish version, our winner is undisclosed until the end... It is a fair and clean sport. Bullfighting is part of Koreans' life, as it was mine when I was young and owned a bull."
In the annual tradition just before farming season begins, proud bull owners gather for the competition at Cheongdo, 265 km southeast of Seoul in March.
This year, 132 bulls across six different weight classes took part in the events that had made it to the quarter-finals in other competitions. About 10,000 spectators gathered for opening day, Wednesday.
According to AFP, "The contest begins when two owners dressed in traditional red and blue lead their bulls into the centre of the ring.
"When the referee blows his whistle, owners use a rope attached to a nose ring to get their beasts -- weighing around three-quarters of a tonne -- to clash head to head. They lock horns and attempt to push each other backwards.
"There is no time limit for each bout."
Choi Kyoung-Hee, 40, a festival volunteer said that "The focus is not on the bulls getting hurt. It is fun if you focus on the tactics, the energy and the speed."
"When one bull is exhausted, it backs off and pulls its horns away," AFP said. "The winner roams the arena, seemingly savouring the victory, while the loser slowly walks out."
The winning bull collects six million won (US $5,217); the runner-up, 5 million won.
The bulls are also ordinary breeds but unique to Korea. The Korean cows, called "hanwoo", are picked for their fighting prowess, usually those with short front legs, thick legs and small eyes. Bulls normally reach their pugnacious peak at around six or seven years of age.
Bulls too old to fight return to the farm or are put down if damaged as a result of fighting, but never killed for their beef.
"Korean cows, or hanwoo, are a unique species in the world that lives only in Korea," explained Nam Ho-kyung, president of the country's largest domestic cattle association, Chosun Ilbo reported. "Raising them and holding fights between them are both part of our history. The Hanwoo species is recognized as having great physical power and stamina."
Some are trying to make bullfighting a legal gambling sport, "but there are problems due to conflicts within the organisation," festival organiser Park Chung-Bae told AFP.
Still, whether the bullfighting has a monetary payoff or not for spectators, there's a lesson to be had, the mayor believes.
"Once the bull surrenders, no owner will push it to the limit and will accept the result," he said. "Such a spirit is definitely something for us to learn."
Indeed, competition as well as life is not simply about winning at any cost, but learning to accept defeat graciously as well.
A five day centuries old bullfighting festival in Cheongdo ended Sunday that drew 480,000 spectators during the weeklong event, according to Yonhap.
However, in contrast to Spanish bullfighting, there is no matador. Bulls fight each other, usually without bloodshed or death. Organizers say serious injuries are rare.
"The bulls fight each other," Cheongdo county mayor Lee Joong-Geun told AFP. "Whereas the bullfighter is always the winner in the Spanish version, our winner is undisclosed until the end... It is a fair and clean sport. Bullfighting is part of Koreans' life, as it was mine when I was young and owned a bull."
In the annual tradition just before farming season begins, proud bull owners gather for the competition at Cheongdo, 265 km southeast of Seoul in March.
This year, 132 bulls across six different weight classes took part in the events that had made it to the quarter-finals in other competitions. About 10,000 spectators gathered for opening day, Wednesday.
According to AFP, "The contest begins when two owners dressed in traditional red and blue lead their bulls into the centre of the ring.
"When the referee blows his whistle, owners use a rope attached to a nose ring to get their beasts -- weighing around three-quarters of a tonne -- to clash head to head. They lock horns and attempt to push each other backwards.
"There is no time limit for each bout."
Choi Kyoung-Hee, 40, a festival volunteer said that "The focus is not on the bulls getting hurt. It is fun if you focus on the tactics, the energy and the speed."
"When one bull is exhausted, it backs off and pulls its horns away," AFP said. "The winner roams the arena, seemingly savouring the victory, while the loser slowly walks out."
The winning bull collects six million won (US $5,217); the runner-up, 5 million won.
The bulls are also ordinary breeds but unique to Korea. The Korean cows, called "hanwoo", are picked for their fighting prowess, usually those with short front legs, thick legs and small eyes. Bulls normally reach their pugnacious peak at around six or seven years of age.
Bulls too old to fight return to the farm or are put down if damaged as a result of fighting, but never killed for their beef.
"Korean cows, or hanwoo, are a unique species in the world that lives only in Korea," explained Nam Ho-kyung, president of the country's largest domestic cattle association, Chosun Ilbo reported. "Raising them and holding fights between them are both part of our history. The Hanwoo species is recognized as having great physical power and stamina."
Some are trying to make bullfighting a legal gambling sport, "but there are problems due to conflicts within the organisation," festival organiser Park Chung-Bae told AFP.
Still, whether the bullfighting has a monetary payoff or not for spectators, there's a lesson to be had, the mayor believes.
"Once the bull surrenders, no owner will push it to the limit and will accept the result," he said. "Such a spirit is definitely something for us to learn."
Indeed, competition as well as life is not simply about winning at any cost, but learning to accept defeat graciously as well.
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