This week, I've spent quite a bit of time trying to think of the best way to blog about this word. To me, although the meaning is clear, I have had quite a bit of difficulty in my attempt to relate it in some way to the francophone culture. I wanted to try and come up with something more original than the obvious of a boxer or history of boxing. In saying that, I came across something that I found very interesting.
French Cow Fighting. Yes, I am writing about French cow fight.
Dating back to its origin in the 1910s, cow fighting has been an annual event attracting crowds up to 50,000 people from all over. The event is actually held in Alps in the city of Martigny, Switzerland, a town located close to the French border. For the competition, there is only one type of cow used, the Herens, which is the breed most adapted to the climate and mountain conditions. The Herens is a naturally aggressive breed. Each year at the "combats des reines" (queen fights), handlers fight their cows against one another until they reach one ultimate winner, or "La Reine des Reines". Battles can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. As stated in the video posted below, one man talks about the difference between this competition where you have cows fighting against themselves and the famous bullfights of Spain. The things he points out is that this competition is animal versus animal, not animal versus man. As he puts it, "it is a notable difference." They did come up against some problems in the 1980s from animal rights groups, but apparently were able to bypass this in stating that the injuries were not significant enough on average.
Here is a link to a video that has all the information on it and it is only about 6 minutes long.
Cow Fighting
Now, I don't put this up here to start a huge debate one way or the other, I just found this piece of history that has remained for almost 100 years interesting to share. What I would like to hear from you all though is an answer to the question at the end of the video.
If you want some more information on it, I have a few websites.
Lastly, I also found out they have camel wrestling in Turkey, but I'll save that for another post.
This is super cool! I had no idea they did this. I guess this really shows you how ingrained the agriculture is in France. I like that it is animal vs animal to find the "best".
ReplyDeleteAshley,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you enjoyed this! I found it an interesting way to take a twist on the word. I do think that agriculture is very important in France and this just reinforces that. The cows they use are not just bred and raised for this fighting purpose. They are raised to work and do this as a competition on the side. I just find it very fascinating.
This is such an inspiring topic Randi, By hosting these fights not only does it convery the tradition of the town through their culture but it brings different individuals from different parts of the world to exchange their culture. In addition, this tradition can help foster the economy of the town since lots of people will be there for long or short term.
ReplyDeleteNii, Thanks for the compliment on the post! I never actually thought about the point you made in the fact that it would definitely help foster the economy in the region. As long as there is not too much animal brutality involved with the fighting, which doesn't seem like there truly is, then it would be a great way to help the economy and also would help bring cultures and communities together!
DeleteRandi,
ReplyDeleteOh man, I love learning about weird/obscure traditions...I wonder if there is trash-talk involved. "Your cow is a sissy compared to my cow!"
As far as the question in the video, I think the tradition can certainly survive. If people are passionate about something, and a tradition is particularly ingrained in the local culture, there's no reason why it would fizzle out. It seems like a pass time that is enjoyed by many and lets them all take a break from their work for a while. Conditions permitting, such as the breed's continued aggressiveness, it seems like this will be a local tradition to years to come.
Katie,
DeleteI figured you would enjoy this. I definitely wanted to bring a different aspect to our word of the week. Also, I would assume there would be trash talk involved, that may not be as nice as the phrase you came up with! :) I'm also glad you think that the tradition can survive! I think that keeping traditions is very important, especially in a world that is growing so rapidly.
Randi,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the video you found. The bells are beautiful and add a sense of tradition the event, as does the venue of the Roman stadium. I thought it was important that they addressed the animal welfare issue - if the cows were badly hurt or fought to the death that would definitely ruin it for me. But it doesn't look too violent or cruel. As far as whether the tradition can survive, it seems to be alive and well for now if more than a thousand people come to watch, including young people. France (or was it Switzerland?) is really proactive about protecting their traditions, so I'd say it has as good a chance of surviving there as anywhere. Thank you for this really different and charming story!
Kate,
DeleteI'm glad you commented on the fact that it is in a Roman stadium. To me, that was so awesome! (Perhaps it is more awesome because we don't have such things here in the states, but who knows.) I also agree that I do not by any means condone animal cruelty but it seems like a lot of cows end up giving up rather than being hurt and having to stop. I'm glad you enjoyed it! I thought it was a nice way to tie not only our word with one place, but to an idea that can involve a variety of backgrounds and countries.
It COULD survive if PETA doesn't get ahold of it. Or maybe the "Whale Wars" TV crew will do a spin-off show called "Cow-Contention!" Ha, either way I think that life-long traditions like this can become alienated by overly vocal groups of people that don't understand the tradition. I think traditions, such as these, keep a certain "nostalgic" feel in the air. Although, watching two cows push each other around may not be everyone's cup-o-tea, you can still learn a lot about the France of old!
ReplyDelete