Whether or not there is a link to Elizabeth, I am not sure. Yet, historically, the event was a festival for the elderly and poor, allowing royalty and the community to provide for those less fortunate and give some entertainment to them- the bullfight.

Because the Holy Spirit is the guest of the festival, and is given freely to all those who believe in Christ, everything at the festival is free: Sopas (meat, cabbage, and Portuguese bread), Linguisa, and Portuguese ribs. Chef, Luis Pereira, explains that the pork is marinated in veititos. I never figured out what exactly that was, but it was sure good!

The heart of the festival is the bullfight, to be exact-Tourda-a-Corda (Bull on a Rope). Now when I say bullfight, I do not mean spears, blood, and a Matador. Rather, it is a street fight, with a professional street fighter (toureiros) controlling the bulls. Four to six men, wearing bolero hats and white shirts, harness the bull with ropes.

In Portugal, the tradition is called the pega, where men (Forcados) are dressed in a traditional costume of velvet, with long knit hats as worn by the celebrated Ribatejo campinos (bull headers).

One of the bulls

Here in California, the bulls are not hurt, and, unless people do not get out of the way, either are the participants.

Azorean father and son team, “Magalhaes,” (Francisco and Fabio) gave a wonderful display of bull-fighting techniques. I asked them what the object of the bullfight was. They told me that it was to play with the bull, keeping out of its reach until it wears out. Once the bull tires, a new bull is brought onto the street. Seven bulls in total (seven-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit?) were used.

Most of the participants used umbrellas and make shift capes to cause the bull to charge their way. Once the bull runs towards the fighter, the object is simply to get out of the way without being hit. Yet the younger Magalhaes, Fabio, has scars to prove that one does not always fulfill that goal. To the left side of his eye, and all over his arms, are reminders that the bulls are by no means tame creatures.

Joining them in the bullfight display is local fighter, Joe Dias, other novice fighters, and the curious- including me! I asked Courtney Dias what she thought about her father being a bullfighter. She said, “it was fun.” When asked if she bullfights, she replied, “yes,” but “only with calves.”

Another local bullfighter is Mike Bogas. He is part of a group of eight Forcados who travel to the larger fights, taking on the bulls without a rope. He assured me that I would be safe in the ring. He, for the most part, was my guide on the enclosed street; explaining that bulls see only in a triangle and focus in on movement, so if I stood still, I should be fine. Let me assure you, however, I ran once the beautiful behemoth looked my way!

Speaking with one of the rope holders, Dennis Rebelo, I asked him the aim of his job. He simply said, “to keep the bulls under control, so they do not get out of hand in the street, which, in turns, keeps the people safe.” I was glad to hear this, and asked him if he could especially keep the bulls on a tight rope around me. He laughed, and said, “maybe.”

The many-layered, hay-lined streets- with American, Portuguese, and Azorean flags- were the place most of the people sat to watch the spectacle. Hundreds of people joined the event, mostly of Portuguese descent. They sang three songs to initiate the Festival: the American National Anthem, the Portuguese National Anthem, and a song directed to the Holy Spirit, Alva Pomba. When I asked Eva Monteiro, the woman next to me who translated the evening for me (the whole festival was in Portuguese), what some of the words were, she said, “Holy Spirit, come live a river.”

The first bull was a huge male stud. Once he was let out of the cage, I got an up-close look that this was the real deal! No cute little cow here. This bull was enormous, and was charging at anything that moved. I, of course, stayed out of its way, but got a sense of its power once it ran by me, breathing heavily and looking like it would love to get one of these crazy people silly enough to get in its way.

Through the course of the next six bulls, I was in the path of the bull twice. Of which, both times, I jumped out of its way. One of the rope-men joined me, landing on my lap. Photographer, Jeff Lefever and Isaiah Nixon, joined me in this adventure, and likewise, had a couple of close calls. Pictures from the event can be seen on lefever.com.

The event went on for two and a half hours. I am pleased to say that I, nor any of the bulls, were hurt. Overall, it was a fun, fascinating, and intriguing Festival.

Brian Nixon in the middle of the action

When the Tourada-a-Corda was over, the Portuguese band, Tulare, pounded out songs in a traditional style, while people talked of the night’s events, danced, and enjoyed life under the warm, black, night sky.

So what does the Holy Sprit have to do with bullfighting? To tell you the truth, I am not sure. But what I can say is that there was a spirit of family, fun, and tradition that shaped the whole evening. Maybe, in the scope of things, the sprit of charity, possibly initiated by Queen Elizabeth, is still the guiding sentiment 800 years later, causing people from this small town in California to thank God for His provisions.

Alva Pomba: Hymn to The Holy Spirit
White dove that night you appeared,
To the Messiah in the river Jordan,
You extend your celestial wings
White dove that meiga you appeared,
To the Messias in the river Jordão,
You extend your celestial wings
On the peoples of orbe Christian.
Choir
You come, oh! You come, between glory clouds.
Between the angels and blessings of love,
It enters the cantos of perpetual victory
That querubins raises you, Sir.
Who to the poor persons its arms extends,
You come, oh! You come, etc.
You offer most beautiful offerings,
You offer them on behalf of God;
You will harvest one day a thousand there you arrest
When to enter in the kingdom of skies.
You come, oh! You come!

Brian Nixon is a pastor, writer, musician, and family man. He currently resides in Costa Mesa, California