Race camarguaise

The race camarguaise is a play taurin without setting with death, in which the participants try to catch attributes fixed at the horns of a bull. This play is very popular Herault with Arles while passing by the Gard, the the Camargue and the Crau.

History

It is at the 19th century that the race camarguaise begins. It occurred in arenas made from carts and where the bull starts to carry attributes.

At this period the manadiers understand that they can benefit from these races, by improving the race of the bulls, which are already very combative. This race was called “ free motion ”, because everyone could take part in it.

The March 16th 1953, important date for the race camarguaise, mark the meeting with Lunel of the federation of the taurines cities of France which obtains a payment of free motion . At this meeting they adopt certain points such as the behavior of the rasetor (see Ci below). This meeting marks the birth of the race camarguaise by the stop of the free motion .

In 1975, the French federation of the Camarguaise Race is created under the law of associations of 1901.

The principle

A hundred arenas propose this sporting program in the departments of the Herault, of the Gard, the Rhone delta and the Vaucluse. A small thousand of meetings takes place each year, all confused levels.

Attributes

The attributes are the elements key of the race camarguaise. Indeed without them, there would be no play. There are three attributes, they will be described in the order where the raseteurs must remove them in the race.

the rosette , as opposed to what indicates its name, is a red ribbon of a dimension from five to seven centimetres length and one centimetre width. The rosette is attached on a string on the top of face of the bull and in the center.
the nipple is in fact a white wool pompom. There are of them two because hung by the string at the base of each horn.
the string which is the last attribute to be removed in fact is rolled up around the horn into five to six turns. It arrives, according to the difficulty of the bull, which one adds one or two turns.

Before the race

The “Abrivado” precedes the race, it is the arrival in the arenas of the bulls coming from the meadows, accompanied with horse by the gardians by the Manade. Their return to the meadows after the race under the same conditions is called the “bandido”. The goal of the gardians, horses and bulls is to remain grouped “emmaillés”, the goal of people in the street (“attrapaïres”) is to divert the bulls and to demolish their beautiful functioning order. It was thus to the neighborhoods of the Seventies. Since, whatever the prestige due to the row of the various bulls, they are led in the truck: they are stars, their names on the posters, are written much larger than those of the invited raseteurs. Recently, an exposure was devoted to the jingoist Goya , called the “Lord of Provence”, in the town of Beaucaire. Example of prestige and admiration that the aficionados carry to the bull.

Then in the toril, the gardians fix the attributes of the bull.

Contrary to what occurs in the Corrida, not question of physically maltreating here the bull which is a star, as well as the raseteurs. Nevertheless, if ever the animal is wounded because of a blow of badly adjusted hook of the rasetor or of a bad reception in a blow of barrier, the raseteurs make sign with the presidency which orders the suspension of any action; the manadier comes then of against-track to judge wound of his animal, and to decide if it continues the race or not. He is besides current to hear a “Carmen” (extracted the opera of Bizet) at the time of an act of bravery of a man or bull.

The race

The first siren resounds which announces released of the jingoist in the arena. The raseteurs await the second siren which intervenes at the end of the first minute left to the jingoist to be accustomed to the arena, announces that they can start with raseter.

The raseteurs face the bull in order to go to seek on its horns of the attributes using a hook. These attributes have two values:

one in the form of points allowing to determine best raseteurs in the various championships (trophy) of each category (equivalent with divisions in football): trophy of the Future, trophy of Raseteurs, trophy of the Aces (highest).
the other pecuniary one, in the form of sporting premiums. The value of the attribute increasing with the wire of time, by “settings” sponsored by the public and announced with the microphone to incite the raseteurs “to work”.

The raset

A raset is held in four times:

the turner, who is a former rasetor.

After the race

After the race, the bull regains its meadows and its congeneric, physically intact.

Major appointments

Each year, three go hold the attention of the “Aficionados”:

Rosette of Gold of Arles, 76e edition in 2007, which is most important and most prestigious
the Palm of Gold of Beaucaire
the finale of the Trophy of the Aces which takes place, in alternation, with Nimes and Arles.

These three races are most important, but many other races with trophy, take place such as the trophy San Juan. They count for the Trophy of the Aces.

The jingoist

The bull is called “the jingoist” because it is him which carries the rosette.

It is here about bulls camarguais (the “Camargue” or “ raço di biòu ”), in opposition to the Spanish bulls. The bull camarguais is smaller (between 300 and 450kg for the males), more highly-strung person and more rapid that his/her Spanish cousin and his horns are in form of Lyre.

The jingoist having gained the Biòu d' Or

The rasetor

Clothes

The raseteurs, like the turners, must carry a white behavior, no advertizing inscription not having to appear in it

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