Basque ethnography at a glance

Saint John’s day in Gaztelugatxe, 2023. Labayru Foundation Photographic Archive.

With the arrival of summer, festivals are celebrated in all corners of our geography. During this time, apart from patron saint festivals of towns and cities, numerous festivals are also celebrated in the neighbourhood hermitages. In Bizkaia there are around 800 classified hermitages. It is true that not all of those that existed back in the day are preserved, and in many others, the celebrations have varied considerably. Ecclesiastical celebrations are maintained in 459 hermitages, 30 are deteriorated, another 7 are used for civil tasks, and the rest have disappeared. In the last century, society underwent profound changes and transformations that forced the hermitages themselves to adapt to the new needs of society.

Until the second half of the 20th century, the hermitages were above all the spiritual centre and the link of coexistence of the neighbourhood and the community. In traditional life, the house has been the axis of family life, while the hermitage has been the centre of the neighbourhood. In this way of life, the hermitages have played a significant role, intertwining religiosity, neighbourhood, popular heritage and the natural environment. Nowadays the religious function has weakened and the hermitages are also used for social or cultural events. Although neighbourhood relations are currently not so close and the forms of celebration have changed, the festival of the patron saint of the hermitage maintains its strength, being a meeting point for members of the family and the neighbourhood.

Some festivities are still celebrated on their corresponding day, whether during the week or in the weekend. In other cases, on the same day only a simple event such as mass or some other celebration takes place. In most cases, a large part of the festive program has moved to the weekend before or after. Furthermore, as the weather is not good, the winter celebrations have also been moved to a spring or summer weekend: St Thomas in Zamudio (santomasak) or St Martin in Otxandio (sanmartinak), among others.

The feast of the Holy Cross (santikurutz) in Bizkargi, 2023. Labayru Foundation Photographic Archive.

As for the festive rites associated with the hermitages, some have endured over the years; others, however, have been adapted or are newly created. The mass celebrated in the hermitage during the day of its patron saint has long been one of the most important activities, and today it is maintained in all the hermitages; most of the attendees being of certain age. Other religious celebrations such as blessings or rituals associated with the request for health, are still alive. Many of them are of great tradition. To name a few: the blessing of animals and bread on Saint Anthony’s day in the Urkiola sanctuary, the blessing of candles in Andikoa in Berriz, or the ringing of the Saint John bell in Gaztelugatxe requesting good health.

In the hermitages, in addition to religious rites, others of a more social nature are celebrated, attracting many people nowadays. These activities focus most of the time on popular foods, although it is also common to organize championships of a very diverse nature: gastronomic, sports… In addition, music and dance continue to be fundamental in our festivals: the pilgrimages, the txistularis or Basque dances.

Although several traditions related to the hermitages have been lost and others have weakened, it must be emphasized that the customs and festivals continue to maintain an important identity component. The neighbourhood organization and cultural heritage are still alive and continue to be an authentic cultural and spiritual treasure.

Nerea Etxebarria Gumuzio – Labayru Foundation