When talking about something very annoying, many people use the expression “acts like a red rag on a bull.” At the same time, there is often a statement that bulls do not distinguish this color at all and react only to sudden movements. We decided to understand and put an end to the issue of interaction between bulls and colored fabric.

Similar phraseology is used by the media and entertainment portals: TASS, RBC, Adme. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov described some aspects of Russian-American relations, and Russian skier Alexander Panzhinsky - competition Alexandra Bolshunova in skiathlon with Norwegians. Also an expression with a similar meaning - a red flag (rag) to a bull - exists in English.

The history of the origins of bullfighting goes back centuries. Scientists believe, that initially the fight was of a ritual nature, since parts of the killed animal were dedicated and sacrificed to the gods. Ancient Roman writer and philosopher Claudius Aelianus in “Motley Tales” describes the progenitor of bullfighting - the ancient Greek festival of Bufonius - is like this: “they slaughter a bull and everyone and everything in turn is tried for murder and acquitted; the knife is convicted - he is recognized as the killer of the bull.”

And although bullfighting is considered the hallmark of Spain, it practiced in a number of other countries: France, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia. In 2001, a bullfight planned also be held in Moscow at the Olympic Stadium, however, already at the stage of ticket sales, the event was canceled by decree of the city mayor Yuri Luzhkov as violating the provisions of Article No. 245 of the Criminal Code on cruelty to animals.

Spanish bullfighting has developed its own centuries-old tradition, described in a special Royal maternity leave. According to the rules, the entire event shares into three parts called thirds. The first and third feature red cloth. In the first there is a hood - a large heavy cloak, red or pink on one side and yellow on the other. Exercises with the hood can be either purely artistic or combat-oriented. In the third third, the matador uses another instrument - a muleta, a red cloak or cloth stretched over a wooden stick about 50 cm long. In exercises with a muleta, the bullfighter tries to bring the bull as close as possible in order to stab him with a sword. This is probably where the stereotype came from, that it is this bright color that irritates the matador’s opponent.

However, in 2007, MythBusters set a series of experiments. In front of the bull there were first motionless flags, and then swaying ones. The bull did not react to stationary ones (including the red flag), but he attacked all moving ones, regardless of their color. At the end of the video, one of the presenters, dressed in a red suit, stood motionless in front of the animal, while two professional fighters in black teased the bull. And the bull again reacted not to color, but to movement.

Scientists confirm: Bulls are color blind, but they see white a little better than others. Moreover, bulls are also myopic. Therefore, the bull most likely perceives a moving red (or any other color) rag, located quite far from him, as another animal and therefore rushes at the bullfighter.

However supposedthat the red color of the muleta and hood was not chosen by chance. Bullfighting is a rather cruel spectacle, so the scarlet color is explained by the fact that blood is less noticeable on it.

Thus, the color red in bullfighting has its own utilitarian meaning - to mask the blood of an animal or bullfighter. However, the bull is color blind and attacks the cloak only because it is moving. So the phraseological unit could be reformulated as follows: “any movement is as annoying as a bull.”