The myth of Easter Sunday

There is a special feeling when talking about Easter Sunday during the bullfighting festival.

Seville is in the eyes of the bullfighting world today, with one of the most anticipated bullfights of the season. The Real Maestranza will see on Easter Sunday, called Resurrection, three of the main figures of current bullfighting, Morante de la Puebla, Sebastián Castella and Andrés Roca Rey, against bulls of Hermanos García Jiménez.

Each square has its big afternoon. And for Seville that is it. Also for the world.

An afternoon in which all bullfighters in the ranks dream of being there. An afternoon that marks the beginning of the season in the Baratillo arena, in the run-up to the famous April Fair. And this date so marked in the bullfighting calendar is a real highlight. Such is the expectation that for a week the “no tickets” message was posted at the physical and electronic ticket offices.

Morante de la Puebla returns after a dream 2023 season in the Sevillian arena, in which he managed to go down in history and leave through the Puerta del Príncipe on April 26 after cutting off both ears and the tail of “Ligerito”, from Domingo Hernandez. Castella was one of the great winners of last season, riding on the shoulders of Madrid and the Maestranza at the San Miguel Fair. Roca Rey arrives in Seville launched after his latest triumphs, highlighting that of the Fallas Fair 2024. The Peruvian returns to the Maestranza after leaving on shoulders in the last April Fair.

Legacy of Work

Since the 1940 season, Easter Sunday afternoons and evenings in Seville have been celebrated, non-stop except for the year of the pandemic. The day is very special in the city. After the intense emotions experienced during Holy Week, when the bugles and drums continue to resonate, with the streets full of wax, eyes turn with admiration towards what is considered the most beautiful bullring in the world. The beauty of the monumental setting together with the prestige of the arena, due to the knowledge of the fans who occupy their seats, makes for a different celebration. However, it is necessary to point out that the significance of the inaugural bullfight in Seville has not always been the same. The bullfight changed radically in 1981 thanks to the continued presence of Curro Romero on his posters. The business expertise and fantasy of Diodoro Canorea, allied with the “Pharaoh of Camas”, changed the appearance of this bullfight, which previously showed many ups and downs in the composition of its posters.

Curro became the icon of Easter Sunday. The camero had already fought in Seville on that date in 1969 and 1970 to open the poster for the alternatives of Antonio Barea and Rafael Torres.

He returned in Resurrección in 1978 and in 1979, also as godfather to Antonio Alfonso Martín and Pepe Luis Vargas. He was not announced in 1980, but since 1981 he was only missing in 1992. That year of the Universal Exhibition, Curro did not do the Paseíllo in Resurrección to fight the next day in the bullfight at the opening of the event.

He participated in all the celebrations, except the one mentioned in 1992, until 2000, the last one in which he was active. In total, 23 afternoons as the protagonist of that day. It can be said that the consolidation and definitive prestige of this bullfight are linked to Curro Romero.

Another curious fact is that Curro has been the alternative godfather on eight occasions in the Resurrection celebrations, in addition to having witnessed the alternatives of Pepe Luis Vázquez and Juan Mora. The balance of the “Pharaoh” in these celebrations is not striking: two ears, one in 1970 and another in 1996. In return, countless unforgettable moments with the cape and muleta typical of a bullfighting genius. From 1978 to 2000, Curro has been the standard bearer of this unique bullfight. He was also responsible for the change experienced in public attendance and its consolidation as the first major bullfighting event on the calendar. Especially, nowadays with the magic of technology everyone can see it, upon subscription, to the bullfighting platform. That has given greater expectation to the afternoon.— Information from “El Mundo” and Mundotoro.com