Just like any other Portuguese bullfight, the elegant rider deftly guides his horse around the charging bull's horns, before bending down to plant a bandarilha in its spine. Except that no blood is spilled -- the small spear is velcro-padded, and sticks to a cushion attached to the bull's back -- and most of the spectators' cheers are in English. The scene takes place in Turlock, a small town in the heart of rural California, where tens of thousands of Portuguese-Americans have lived for decades, keeping the traditions of their ancestral homeland alive, not least bullfighting.
![California's Portuguese community keeps bullfighting alive without bloodshed. California's Portuguese community keeps bullfighting alive without bloodshed.](https://static.euronews.com/articles/stories/06/85/64/84/1200x675_cmsv2_0785ae6a-5bff-538f-8c63-e78e5ebea62f-6856484.jpg)
Video. California's Portuguese community keeps bullfighting alive without bloodshed
Just like any other Portuguese bullfight, the elegant rider deftly guides his horse around the charging bull's horns, before bending down to plant a bandarilha in its spine. Except that no blood is spilled -- the small spear is velcro-padded, and sticks to a cushion attached to the bull's back -- and most of the spectators' cheers are in English. The scene takes place in Turlock, a small town in the heart of rural California, where tens of thousands of Portuguese-Americans have lived for decades, keeping the traditions of their ancestral homeland alive, not least bullfighting.