Corrida en Arles

The sultry Spanish sun slowly sank.  It's rays criss-crossed across the yellow sky.  And though it's sanguine light still bathed the Provencal arena below, the day's sun was well on its way across the Iberian peninsula.

The Roman amphitheater overflows with a standing room only crowd.  Fans, thirsty for a view, resort to climbing the nearby, ancient aqueduct.  The olive-skinned Mediterranean masses, with their red kerchiefs and even redder hats, appear pimento stuffed.

With the opening bugle sounds fading, the matador and his entourage have entered the ring and saluted the presiding dignitaries.  The noble bull soon after  followed, to be tested for his ferocity.  A picador, atop a padded horse, uses his lance to prod the bull, drawing first blood.  A couple of banerilleros prepare to further incite and weaken the bull by sticking him with their barbs.  The matador studies the beast's behavior.  He will use his cape to incite the color-blind bull into a series of passes, wearing it down, preparing for the kill.

The blood begins to seep, as the crowd grows frenzied.  The traditional pageantry offsets the brutality.  The setting sun even makes the round arena appear valentine shaped, symbolizing the affection for this cultural custom.  The onset of dusk begat the festivities; sundown would signal the spectacle's cessation and the bull's demise.