Issue date: 26 May, 2004
This issue consists of two stamps: one depicting the Entry of bulls and horses in Segorbe , of 0.27 Euros, and the other showing a Lance Taurino , of 0.77 Euros, and a vignette with no postal value showing the likeness of the bullfighter Enrique Ponce.
There are documentary records of the Festival of the bulls dating back to 1592, when a synod held in Segorbe prohibited the running of bulls on holidays. However, there is no written record of the origin of the Entry of bulls and horses. Interest among tourists and bullfighting fans and the spectacular nature of this festival, which takes place in the second week of September, led it to be declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 1985. The Entry starts with the traditional Tria ceremony, in which shepherds separate the bulls that will run from the herd. The animals come up from the Palancia valley by the Camino del Rialé, and at two o'clock on the dot, the Entry starts in the street of calle Argen. In the Plaza de Mesones, the horsemen and horses join the bulls, playing the leading role in the scene known as the Reunión to start the race up Colón, where a large crowd forms a barrier and blocks the bulls' and horsemen's' way. The Entry finishes in the Plaza de la Cueva Santa. There, the horsemen halt their horses, meaning that only the bulls are penned in after the area is closed. The horsemen parade along calle colon, where they receive the public's applause as a reward for their skill. The Lance taurino shows a trincherazo , a pass with the right hand using the red cape as a type of trench. Each of the moves that takes place in each stage of a bullfight is called a lance, to refer to types of cape. The vignette features the matador from Valencia, Enrique Ponce. A bullfighter trained at the Valencia Bullfighting School (1983), he made his first public appearance in 1986 and his debut at Madrid's Las Ventas bullring in 1988. He became a fully-fledged bullfighter in Valencia on 16 March 1990, with Joselito as his godfather and El Litri as the witness. In the seasons between 1990 and 2004, Ponce participated in more than 1300 bullfights in Spain and abroad, winning numerous trophies and the respect of bullfighting aficionados. The design of this block page, which includes the logo of the España 2004 World Philately Exhibition, was produced by the Jesús Sánchez Studio.
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