Crowds of excited people streamed into the FoodMaxx Arena Sunday night at the Turlock fairgrounds to honor a centuries-old Portuguese tradition.
The Turlock Pentecostal Association (TPA) Bloodless Bullfights show at the Stanislaus County Fair brought together families, fans and first-time spectators to the fairgrounds to celebrate a tradition that remains important to the Central Valley Portuguese culture.
The Portuguese tradition that is popular during festa (festival) season has been drawing in audiences at the Turlock fair since 2022.
Portuguese bullfighting differs from Spanish bullfighting because the event does not end with the death of the bull. Instead of harming the bull with sharp spears or swords, the horsemen known as cavaleiros (Portuguese for “knight”) enter the arena with the goal of placing three felt-tipped darts onto a velcro pad attached to the bull’s back.
At the fair, three cavaleiros – all from Portugal – took to the ring.
There are multiple roles and moving parts that are required to put on the event. The bullfight director is an integral one, and a role Jose Bernardo has been proud to fill for 15 years.
“It means a lot to keep these traditions alive, especially the bullfights. I like all the Portuguese traditions, but especially the bullfights,” Bernardo said the excitement of the bullfights is what makes it his favorite tradition.
As the bullfight director, Bernardo is responsible for starting and ending the bullfight. He signals to the cavaleiro when they can enter the ring, and then waits for the signal that they’re ready for the bull.
Once the cavaleiro is ready, Bernardo signals the trumpet player to start playing. This lets the herdsmens know it’s time to release the bull into the ring.
While the cavaleiro is in the ring, the bullfighters, known as brega, use their capes and shout at the bull to guide the animal closer to the rider. They work as a team to attach the felt-tipped darts onto the bull.
If the cavaleiro succeeds in attaching these darts to the bull, they are met with applause and cheers from the audience, and the bullfight director signals the band to play lively music.
Three bullfighters – Armando Diaz, Fermin Quiroz and Jorge Delijorge – assisted the cavaleiros at the fair.
“Us three are the helpers, and then there’s three fighting on horseback. So we are supporting the main actors,” Diaz said.
Diaz has a 30-year history as a bullfighter, and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. He said the adrenaline of being in the ring with a bull motivates him to continue being part of the spectacles.
“All of us when we were little were taken to the bullfights, and somewhere along the line someone in the family was into bullfighting,” Diaz said. “So that made an impression on all of us from a young age.”
Once the fight is over, another group jumps into action, playing an essential role. Forcados are men who are sent into the arena after the cavaleiro has exited to subdue the bull, much like western clowns are tasked with doing at rodeos. Throughout the night, the crowd was at the edge of their seats as the forcados bravely entered the arena to charge the bull.
The eight-men team worked with the bullfighters to tire out the bulls. The crowd watched as the bullfighters taunted the animal with their chanting and capes, as it chased them around the arena.
Then the forcados entered the ring, slowly approaching the bull in a line formation. The forcado in front charged the bull, attempting to grab it by the horns. Then the rest of the forcados jumped onto the bull, trying to subdue the animal.
Sunday night’s forcado captain was Manuel Cabral, with the team Luso American. The amateur Portuguese bullfighting squad participates in the festa season throughout the Central Valley including Turlock, Thornton and Stevinson.
“We get to see how the bull is acting, if he is an aggressive animal or a noble animal,” Cabral said. “When the bullfighters go out there and try to adjust the bull for the cavaleiros, we see if the bull hits the cape high or low. That’s how we figure out which person we’re gonna put in front. As captain, I have to try and make a lineup to grab the bull the best we can.”
The event marked another year of festa season participants working together to keep Portuguese traditions alive in the Valley. That includes people like Merced resident Juanita Ellington, captain and longtime member of the Merced County Sheriff’s Posse. The organization helps host and organize events and fundraising celebrating the community.
“It’s a lot of work but a lot of reward,” she said. “You make a lot of great memories, and we don’t want to lose the tradition. So when we do, we need young ones to come out and be interested and participate.”
Daniela Macias is a summer intern with The Modesto Focus and student at Stanislaus State.