Fighting Cows!
The Spanish have their bullfights, but the Swiss prefer to let the females of the species work off their agression.Apparently, the Eringer breed of cow is a particularly combative one, so every year the folk of Martigny put on a show in the local Roman Amphitheatre. And this year’s contest takes place on Sunday 30th September.
I get the impression that it’s more of a social occasion than a celebration of violence. Some of the “fights” last over 40 minutes. Especially if the cows can’t be bothered to push each other around. Which is how it works, the fight is won, or more precisely, lost, when one cow gets bored and no longer pushes against the other.
There was a major news story a couple of years ago, when the organisers decided to re-introduce the random drug testing of the competing cows. Apparently in the previous years (tests were conducted up to 2002) no animals had been caught cheating, but the judges thought it fairer to have the checks. Good to know that Swiss cows are generally honest competitors though.
If you feel like experiencing this wonder first hand, why not head down to Martigny this Sunday?Further info available at www.martignytourism.ch
8 Comments
Congratulations on the great blog Geoff! I look forward to trying out some of your suggestions soon. Love the new look as well
MGxx
Thanks MG! Hope to keep you interested over the coming months.
Geoff
Welcome (officially) to b5media, and to the Travel & Culture Channel. I’m very excited to have you join us, and I’m looking forward to eerything that you can share about Switzerland and the surrounding area.
Thanks Mary Jo! I’m looking forward to letting the world know about some of the wackier things that happen in Switzerland – it’s not just lakes and mountains.
I’ve seen bullfights from the time I was little and never really liked it, but this is the kind of bovine fighting that I wouldn’t mind seeing!
Wow – this looks great! What a unique sporting event! *lol*
Welcome to the channel Geoff. I must admit, I don’t know an awful lot about Switzerland but I look forward to learning!
[...] You won’t believe what going on in Switzerland, but Geoff at the Switzerland Traveler will be keeping us posted! Did you know that there is a Swiss version to bullfighting? No? Well there is, and you won’t believe how these beasts arrive at a winner! You can read all about it at Fighting Cows! [...]
Hi Lauren and Lynn, I have to agree that this appears to be more civilized than bull fighting! This time next year I’ll be telling you about the ceremonies for when the farmers bring their cows down from the mountains for the winter. I bet you can’t wait!