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Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal and some cities in southern France, in which one or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle.On 18 of December 2009 the parliament of Catalonia approved by majority the preparation of a Law to ban bullfighting in Catalonia, as a response to a popular initiative against bullfighting that gathered more than 180,000 signatures. This has been strongly criticized mainly by Spanish media relating this decision to nationalism and not to animal rights.
In 2004, the Barcelona city council held a symbolic vote against bullfighting, but bullfighting in Barcelona continues as of 2009. Several other towns in Spain have approved similar symbolic bans on bullfighting. Many supporters of bullfighting regard it as a deeply ingrained, integral part of their national cultures. The aesthetic of bullfighting is based on the interaction of the man and the bull. Rather than a competitive sport, the bullfight is more of a ritual which is judged by aficionados (bullfighting fans) based on artistic impression and command. Ernest Hemingway said of it in his 1932 non-fiction book Death in the Afternoon: "Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honour." Bullfighting is seen as a symbol of Spanish culture.
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