|
Ronda's Feria Goyesca is pure pageantry
Part I | Part II
Feria de Pedro Romero 2011
This year's 'Feria de Pedro Romero' starts on August 30 in the evening. It kicks off with a parade at 7.30pm and continues for the next 6 days. The highlight of the week is the 'Corrida Goyesca' which will take place on Saturday 3 September at 5.30pm.
By Owen Thomas and Brenda Padilla
Ronda is an ancient mountain town of scenic vistas, omantic plazas, and historic treasures. Once a year, Ronda also sees a return to tradition with its annual Feria Goyesca. A fairly recent festival, at least in Andalucian terms, it has become an event that has captured the imagination of Spain with its traditional dress, important bullfights and its ageless glamour.
The Feria Goyesca (properly called the Feria de Pedro Romero) stems from the inter-relationship of three main personae which spanned over three centuries, all with strong connections to Ronda. They are the famous 18th century bullfighter, Pedro Romero; the extremely influential 18th century Spanish painter, Francisco de la Goya; and finally, the great 20th century bullfighter, Antoñio Ordóñez, to whom the vision of the Ronda's modern Feria Goyesca can be attributed.
Ronda is well-known as the home of the modern corrida or bullfight. The father of this style was Francisco Romero, the
patriarch of the mythical Romero family of Ronda. Before Francisco, bullfighting was an activity normally fought from the back of a
horse in what was known as the "Jerez style" of bullfighting and although it was an interesting spectacle, it was not what we would
normally call bullfighting today.
Ronda and bulls had become inextricably linked from a much earlier time when, in 1572, King Philip II created the Real
Maestranza de Caballería (the Royal Calvary Order) of Ronda which was to promote the proper military training of noblemen in
the area. This training included horsemanship, athletics, and the spearing of bulls from horseback.
This preparative training for war carried over to times of peace and in this way, the seeds of modern bullfighting were sown in this small, mountain town. Due to the innovations of Francisco Romero, the spectacle evolved into confronting the bull, not on horseback but on foot. This newer, exciting style of fighting spread rapidly across Spain as the importance of bullfighting also increased throughout the peninsula.
 |
| Bullfighter in dress from the Goya period |
The greatest fighter of the Romero dynasty was Francisco's grandson, Pedro. Pedro is reported to have dispatched over 6000
bulls during his lifetime, all without receiving a single cornada (goring). He also fought his last fight in Madrid, killing a number
of bulls at the age of 80.
Pedro Romero's fame coincided with the time that the painter, Francisco de la Goya was also at the peak of his creative best. Goya, the famous artist and the court painter to Spanish King Carlos IV, was also a keen observer of traditional Spanish culture. In fact, Goya painted the most famous portrait of Pedro Romero and is said to have even designed some of his most stylish fighting costumes.
Part I | Part II
Back to top
|
