Bulls Can’t See Red

Interrupting someone by saying “Well, actually” is like waving a red rag to a bull. Well, actually, bulls are colourblind, so it’s just a rag to them. Telling someone what you wished for when blowing out your birthday candles is forbidden even though your wish could still come true after you reveal it. Science has proven these sayings and superstitions wrong, yet we still persist in following them. That is the power of tradition.

Myths, legends and traditions are all abstract concepts inherited along with family heirlooms. Myths, a form of supernatural stories, and legends, a form of historical fairy tales, have been challenged by science. Although their cultural significance has shielded them from extinction, they are now classified as falsehoods. However, tradition does not make false claims. 

Folklore acts as a strong assemblage of our ancestors, but within its web, tradition sticks like a fly, distinct and dominating. Why? Because actions speak louder than words. 

Fables, though relating us back to generations, are based on belief, and in the modern world, our educational background prevents us from mirroring the thought process of our ancestors. Traditions, which are customs passed down through generations, however, are rooted in action. It is easier to imitate external movements than internal ones; traditions are like footsteps our ancestors left for us to follow. This is also why traditions aren’t classified as false: you can’t disprove something everyone is doing. 

Greeks break plates at weddings, Swedes dance around a flower pole at June’s end, American Airlines skip row 13, and we say “Bless you” when someone sneezes. It is not unlikely that the reasons behind these celebrations and customs are lost on your lips. This is because the action has become an entity divided from its reason. When asking why we knock on wood, the answer is never “because pagans believed in lucky tree spirits” but rather “because it’s tradition”.

Although this explanation seems illogical, it holds more merit than one might assume. According to Professor Saul Levine of Psychiatry, traditions provide us with being, belonging, believing and benevolence. Alliteration is not the only unifying factor between these definitions: they all have a stabilising effect. So, paradoxically, unexplained traditions give us structure, while science, which aims to explain the unexplainable, can feel unstable.

Tradition satisfies not only our sense of self but also our sense of connection to the world around us. When you hear someone tell you “you have your mothers eyes” or “you laugh just like your father”, you know your family better, strengthening belonging. If it were not for the loss of the older generation for the new one, you would also hear comparisons between yourself and your great-great-grandfather. Instead, we are given traditions: small, secret birthrights. Traditions allow you to find links between yourself and those long gone, and in their dances, sayings, and acts, it feels as though someone far yet close is participating alongside you. 

The deadly dance between man and animal has existed as an entertainment sport for thousands of years. Bullfighting, for example, has been popular in Spain since the Middle Ages. Since then, they have incorporated the competition into national holidays like Easter. In Pamplona, a city in the north of Spain, bulls run through the town each year, down to the fighting arena. The cattle’s journey through the streets existed in the 14th century, when its purpose was to transport the bulls to the fights. Now, this run is also a famous tradition, where people sign up to race with the bulls; even the preparations for traditions have become traditions. During this bull race, or Encierro, the people gather, dressed in white and red, colour-coded in their party uniforms. It is not a rule, but it’s strictly followed. It is not surprising that a synonym to ‘tradition’ is ‘unwritten law’. 

By running in the Encierro, Spaniards feel closer to their forefathers, who, as little boys, guided the cattle over cobblestones. When you have a family dinner, you feel the presence of your first ancestors, who sat together around a fire. Those movements deepen us and our world, making the past feel present. Although the reasons for their origins might be debunked, the remaining action holds a human truth: tradition is a piece of history within us. We carry it, and we ensure it stays alive—even when we don’t realise it. So, no, black cats don’t bring bad luck. No, bulls can’t see red. But, next time you pass a fountain, toss a coin in.