Traje de luces
Encyclopedia
is the traditional clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
that Spanish bullfighters (toreros, picador
Picador
A picador is one of the pair of horsemen in a Spanish bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the tercio de varas which is the first of the three stages in a Spanish bullfight.The picador has three main functions:...
s and rejoneador
Rejoneador
Rejoneador is the name given to a bullfighter who fights the bull on horseback. The rejoneador shouldn't be confused with the picador, who is just an assistant of the matador...
s) wear in the bullring
Bullring
A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
. The term originates from the sequins and reflective threads
Goldwork (embroidery)
Goldwork is the art of embroidery using metal threads. It is particularly prized for the way light plays on it. The term "goldwork" is used even when the threads are imitation gold, silver, or copper...
of gold or silver. These trajes are based on the flamboyant costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s of the 18th century dandies
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self...
and showmen involved in tauromachia, which later became exclusive to the bullfighting ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
. Later adornments include the montera hat
Montera
A montera is the hat traditionally worn by many males and females in the folk costumes of the Iberian peninsula.It has come to name also but not exclusively the ones used by bullfighters, introduced to the ritual event in 1835 by Francisco 'Paquiro' Montes as accompaniment to the traje de luces, or...
, elaborate embroidery and decorative accessories.
Toreros
Getting dressed to killRitual slaughter
Ritual slaughter is the practice of slaughtering livestock for meat in a ritual manner. Ritual slaughter involves a prescribed method of slaughtering an animal for food production purposes...
constitutes a ceremonious ritual by itself, The matador is attended by a squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
(mozo de espadas) who helps him to get dressed, often according to a 'lucky' ritual in the privacy of a hotel room.
Components of the traje de luces for a torero may include:
- MonteraMonteraA montera is the hat traditionally worn by many males and females in the folk costumes of the Iberian peninsula.It has come to name also but not exclusively the ones used by bullfighters, introduced to the ritual event in 1835 by Francisco 'Paquiro' Montes as accompaniment to the traje de luces, or...
is the hat that the bullfighter and his assistants (subaltern) wear. The bullfighter dresses during paseíllo (presentation) and in first two third of the ritual called suerte de varas (goading phase) and banderillas (lances phase). It may be offered to a spectator as a mark of honour following a tradition set by Paquiro (Francisco Montes Reina,a famous 19th c. torero) - Castoreño is a wide-brimmed round hat made of white or beige Beaver skin that is worn by picadors (lancer on horseback).
- Corbatín the narrow black necktie.
- Chaquetilla a short and rigid jacket, with shoulder reinforcements, attached only at the upper shoulder to allow the free and unimpeded movement of the arms.
- Taleguilla the close-fitting tights which extend from the waist to underneath the knee, secured with tasselTasselA tassel is a finishing feature in fabric decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe.-Etymology:...
ed cordCordCord may refer to:* String or rope* Cord , a trimming made of multiple strands of yarn twisted together* The spinal cord* Cord Automobile, a former American car marque founded by Errett Lobban Cord* The cord , used to measure firewood...
s or decorated gaiters. Taleguilla are supported by means of braces tirantes concealed by decorative and/or protective clothing. - Medias two pairs of socks or stockings are used. Those of underneath they are white cotton, and the external pair are pink silk
- Camisa the plain white shirt, sometimes embroidered, worn beneath the chaquetilla is white.
- Zapatillas are the flat slippers similar to ballerinas and secured with a bow.
- Capote de paseo a vestige of the 19th century cape for promenading is a short silk mantleMantle (clothing)A mantle is a type of loose garment usually worn over indoor clothing to serve the same purpose as an overcoat...
with rich and luxurious embroidery, which used during the paseíllo. Before the main performance starts, this ornate capote de paseo is exchanged for a more utilitarian red or purple muleta or long cape used to entice the bull to charge. This has stiff reinforcing rods at the sides (Muleta also means crutch or cane in Spanish) - Coleta In the 19th century the bullfighters wore long hair often secured in a bun (called a moña) reminiscent of the 18th century wigs. This was secured by the Coleta. Traditionally, the hair-bun was severed to indicate the torero was leaving the profession, since then, the bullfighters have tended to use a detachable hair adornment called a castañeta.
Picadors
Components of the traje de luces for a picador (the mounted goadGoad
The goad is a traditional farming implement, used to spur or guide lifestock, usually oxen, which are pulling a plough or a cart; used also to round up cattle. It is a type of a long stick with a pointed end, also known as the cattle prod. Though many people are unfamiliar with them today, goads...
er).
- calzona de gamuza Boots made of chamois instead of slippers. Steel armour is worn on the right leg to avoid being goreGore-Violence:* Graphic violence visually depicted, especially the realistic depiction of serious physical injuries involving blood, flesh, bone and brain matter. This "gore effect" was first visualized in Wolfenstein 3D....
d (cornada) by the bull's horns. - castoreño: A traditional beaver-skin hat.
- chaquetilla The picador's jacket is adorned with gold, a privilege reminiscent of times when the picador was equal to or more important than the matador.
Rejoneadores
Rejoneadores are mounted lancers who slaughter the bull whilst sitting on horseback.The Spanish rejoneadores use the traditional suit of Andalusian cattlemen, while the Portuguese rejoneadores dress in the style of Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
, a fashion similar to 18th century gentlemen-horseriders.
Goyaesque corridas
These bullfights celebrate the earliest versions of the modern ceremony, which evolved in the 18th Century, and which were recorded by the painter Goya. The suit is similar to the conventional traje de luces, but with less adornment. the Taleguilla tights are more comfortable, being of silk with gold thread. Goyaesque toreros perform the paseíllo with a bicorneBicorne
The bicorne or bicorn is an archaic form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American military and naval officers...
hat capote de brega (struggle cape) which is similar to the muleta, but in stiffer material, and without the stiffening rods.It measures between 113 & 123 cm and weighs some 4 – 6 kg. Bullfights in the style of Goya are known as Ronda, and are celebrated in Spain at the end of September, and also at Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
in France.