Archives
Tree of Gernika and adjacent church. El oasis. Viaje al país de los fueros [The oasis. Journey to the land of chartered laws], by Juan Mañé y Flaquer. Barcelona, 1880. Euskal Biblioteka. Labayru Fundazioa.
In many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, certain trees have been silent witnesses to a great deal of agreements reached at neighbourhood meetings. Next to them stood usually a hermitage or an aedicule and a stone table, or, as in the case of Gernika, a tribune where swearings-in took place. As Caro Baroja points out, trees, and singularly oak trees, have a profound meaning in collective, political and legal life. (more…)
Holy Week of 1929 in Gernika-Lumo (Bizkaia). Archive of the Gernikazarra History Group.
Both solemn religious observances in the Christian liturgical calendar, Lent precedes and prepares for Easter, a moveable feast celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.
The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, immediately after Carnival, and commemorates the forty days of retreat and fasting which Jesus spent in the desert previous to his earthly ministry. Churchgoers, albeit far fewer than before, take advantage of this time to participate in spiritual practices at parish churches or spiritual centres. (more…)
Last Monday of October in Gernika-Lumo, 1996. José Ignacio García Muñoz. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
Unique fairs and festivals popular with people from near and far are celebrated in many localities throughout Euskal Herria.
Fairs were commercial in character from the beginning. On certain days and places such periodic gatherings gained a particular relevance over time and came to enjoy great prestige. So is the case of the markets held on St Thomas’ Day in Bilbao and Donostia, the well-known Idiazabal cheese fair in Ordizia (Gipuzkoa), the fish fair at Bermeo port, and so on. The same goes for the last Monday of October fair in Gernika-Lumo. (more…)
Gernika-Lumo Marijesiak, 1962. Courtesy of Segundo Oar-Arteta.
The house-visiting wassail practice is a Christmas tradition that still prevails in various localities throughout Bizkaia. Groups of children, youth or adults, sing songs to celebrate the birth of our Lord as their tour the streets and neighbourhoods and, in some cases, ask for alms. Let us describe the Marijesiak celebrations in Gernika-Lumo. The term Marijesiak (a blend of the names Maria –Mary– and Jesus) refers to the old popular stanzas as well as the singers who parade. (more…)
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