We went to a "Truada da Corda" event last night on the island of Terceira. It translates to "Bull on a Cord". The bull was kept on a long rope and sort of controlled by a bunch of guys in white coats and black hats. Then young men would taunt and fight with the bull using only blankets and umbrellas. It was quite a festive event. The street was prepared for it ahead of time. Notice that the walls are all boarded up to keep the bulls out of the yards. The fence points on the metal fences are covered in case someone needs to quickly jump a fence. When the bull was released they would fire off a single flare into the air and everybody quickly cleared the street except for the guys that wanted to challenge the bull. When the bull was secured again they would shoot off a two-explosion flare, indicating it was all clear. At that point everyone would rush back to the street, haul tables full of food out into the street and have a little party. The street would also open up to traffic during the break. Then another flare explosion would go off and the street would clear again. There were 4 total bulls released during the event. I think these events happen in different places all around the island throughout the summer. It was a great taste of the local culture and we met a lot of nice people.
