It is believed that the ritual of the "chegas de bois" (ox fighting) is linked to the belief that the Greek god Dionysus could take the physical form of a bull, as a symbolic representation of masculinity and bravery. It may have been from the reminiscence of the pagan Dionysian festivals, common to several cultures in Europe and Africa, that the ox fights have evolved, reaching the present day as a recreational activity, present annually in summer festivals and exceptionally in events of great importance, such as the Pork Gastronomic Fair in Boticas.
The principle of the fights is simple, it consists in approaching to two males, who will hold their heads against each other to determine who is stronger. Recreating a natural process in which the animals look at each other, show their corpulence (the imposing animals can weigh over a tonne) and eventually measure their strength, by placing their heads against each other, just enough for one of them to feel at a disadvantage, that is, to give signs of retreat or escape.
Rarely do these fights imply any kind of injury to one of the animals.
In some cases, the dominant animal will make a brief pursuit of the weaker one, enough to confirm its power. Ox fights can last for several minutes or just a few seconds (or not at all if the oxen refuse to "give their heads"), taking place between two animals and determining the winner, in successive eliminations until the champion is found. Rarely do these fights imply any kind of injury to one of the animals.
Ox fights were once held between oxen from different villages. At stake, more than the fame of the winning ox, was the image of each village. The oxen of the people have been replaced by private oxen, but the mystique surrounding these spectacles of strength and skill remains the same. These fights continue to draw crowds.
