#The bullfighting Sports have some interesting costumes though (aside from bull leaping which is performed in a loincloth)

[serpentface]

Ohh, is there any more about the sacrificial bullfights? Are there costumes?

It has no costume whatsoever and in fact stands out as one of the Least costumed rites there are. The fighter is completely nude save for carrying a pure white cloak (which is used to provoke the bull in the process of tiring it, and is only actually Worn at the end of the rite should the fighter survive). They're also painted blue. Looks like this.

The skimmer-woman necklace is for good luck, he's going to need it.

It's one of the much older, more localized traditions that has been integrated into the Faith of the Seven Faced God. It originated in the Ephenni tribe and variants on the base theme (a ritual fight to the death between a young man and a bull) have been practiced for at least 900 years.

The purposes of the original rite were very different from its modern incarnation, and were linked to Ephenni kingship. The fighter was always an unwed Ephenni prince, the bull would be an established domestic bull that has sired many offspring. The fight between the prince and the bull was a symbolic 'killing' of his predecessor, initiating the boy into manhood and signalling that he is ready to take the former king's place. It was not a yearly occurrence and was instead an aspect of coronation, with each transition of power beginning in the new year (marked by the planting of maize, the staple crop). Ephenni kings were also high priests and (among many other functions) spiritually protected the crops, the prince's first action after his initiation would be to bless the freshly planted maize.

Over centuries, this practice became Directly associated with the wellbeing of the maize via animal sacrifice, and then was forcibly removed from its kingmaking functions altogether when the Ephenni were occupied by Imperial Bur and their kings killed. The practice of bull-fighting for exclusively corn-blessing purposes continued during and after Burri occupation, and would ultimately be brought into the broader Wardi milieu when Ephennos, Odkotonnos, and Wardin allied and conquered most of their neighbors, forming the beginnings of Imperial Wardin.

Its present incarnation is a yearly rite, observed at the festival that celebrates the planting of the maize (still a staple crop in most of the region). It is functionally a Fertility Rite, intended to bless the crop and observed for signs of how this year's growth will turn out, but it's also highly celebratory and spectacular in nature, not just a solemn religious occasion. It could be argued as a form of human sacrifice in that it is Very dangerous and not infrequently fatal for the fighter, and the death of the human is an acceptable outcome that can impart the same blessings.

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The fighter is always a 'beardless youth' (usually 16-20), chosen from the unwed sons of noblemen. The fighter will have been trained as a warrior (default for most boys, especially nobility) and is chosen for bravery, health, and strength. But he is Highly unlikely to have experience as a bullfighter (at best, may have rehearsed with domestic cattle) and will rely on instruction and good luck. He is also given a drink of consecrated strong liquor immediately beforehand, which does have ritual elements but serves the practical purpose of lowering the probable teenager's inhibitions and making him less fearful.

The fight takes place in farmland surrounding the city, in a fenced off ring. The fighter and bull are placed together in the arena. He is armed with only the cloak and the dagger. He will have to evade the bull's attacks (using the cloak to goad and direct its charges) and gradually wound it until the animal is weakened from blood loss and exhaustion, and a killing blow can be made. The movements and the behavior of the bull are used to discern signs for the future of the crop- a more aggressive bull is a good sign (indicating a strong, healthy crop and good harvest), a bull that spends most of its time attempting to flee or behaves indifferently is a bad sign.

If all goes right, the fighter will manage to injure and tire the bull until it can be dealt a fatal wound. The rite is now successful. Its throat is slit, and the fighter soaks his cloak in its blood. The rest spills into the earth and nourishes the farmland. The fighter is garbed with the cloak and garlanded, and led on khaitback out through the fields to bless the crop while the festivities kick off. He will preside over the rest of the festival in a place of honor, and is celebrated by the attendants. The bull is cleaned and cooked whole for the feast, and the fighter distributes its meat to high ranking attendants (often giving out the best parts to specific people- family, public figures, women he is courting and/or flirting with, etc).

If the fighter is killed, he has ritually taken the bull's place. The rite is now successful. His blood is spilled by attendant priests and his cloak is soaked, the rest nourishes the earth. The bull is restrained, garbed with the cloak and garlanded, and led in procession back out through the fields, blessing the crops in its passing. It is then released among free ranging cattle (often in estrus at this time of year) in hopes it will mate with some, which is highly auspicious and additionally blesses the herds (and eventually makes up for the loss of the bull's meat at the feast). The fighter has died a good death and his blood has blessed the crop, he is given a lavish public funeral and cremation, and the women in attendance honor him with wailing.

The rite fails if it ends in a 'draw', where one is unable to kill the other. Most frequently this occurs when the fighter is non-mortally wounded and the bull ceases its attack. This failure is not regarded as catastrophic or dooming the crop, rather a warning that proper actions have not been taken and amends must be made. The bull is released without ceremony, a yearling domestic bull is sacrificed in its stead (without the additional crop blessing procession, and its body is cremated rather than butchered and served), libations of its blood and wine are poured onto the crops, and the fighter takes no further place in the festivities.

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This ritual has been heavily reinterpreted to fit with the Faith of the Seven Faced God. It is framed as a rite to Mitlamache and officiated by Galenii high priests. It exclusively uses wild aurochs rather than domestic bulls (as a representation of Mitlamache and of wild fertile earth on which the crop grows). It still occurs in the farmland of the city of Ephennos as part of a seasonal maize festival, but is considered to bless all of God's lands (not just the Ephenni crop). This festival occurs regionwide, but the bullfighting at Ephennos is the only Official enactment of this rite (other towns, cities, and villages often include nonfatal sport bullfighting with domestic cattle in their festivities instead).

The original meaning of the blue body paint has been lost to the ages, but are reinterpreted through the lens of the contemporary faith by being made with blue amenchalme (amenchalme is a consecrated paste of ground maize, salt, wine, and oil, in this case mixed with water and blue pigment). This blue amenchalme is the same material Galenii priests wear on their foreheads during rites (you've seen a couple drawings of Tigran wearing these).

The older practice of butchering and eating the sacrificed bull is retained in its modern incarnation, which is a major outlier among most other official sacrifices in the Faith (in which certain parts of the body may be saved as holy relics, but the flesh and blood is NOT eaten and IS the offering). The spilled blood specifically is framed as the sole offering, and the death of the bull and survival of the boy is an indicator that it has been accepted and that its body may be given back to nourish the people directly.

Full nudity (which is taboo in most contexts) is also retained from the older practice, in keeping with other attemptively transformative rites involving the human body being made intentionally vulnerable via nudity. The fighter being seen fully naked cements the notion that he has been temporarily Transformed in triumph over the bull, granted the ability to impart blessings and lead the ceremony when his body's integrity is restored and clothed in the bloody cloak.

Notably, in spite of being ostensibly a human sacrifice, fighters who die in this rite are not considered sacrificed saints (a status generally relegated to those killed in the dry season offering), though are still believed to have died a good death and granted a place of honor in the afterlife among other esteemed dead.