Basque ethnography at a glance

Burdock burrs. Sergio González Ahedo.

As Matthew tells us in his Gospel, when Herod realised he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious and gave orders to put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who where two years old or under, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to the infant Messiah announced to become king of Israel (Mt 2: 16). This biblical episode is known as the Massacre of the Innocents and follows the Adoration of the Magi. Nonetheless, the implementation of liturgical celebrations does not follow chronological order, and the former is commemorated before the latter.

Holy Innocents’ Day is celebrated on 28 December. The character of the feast is festive and fun and has traditionally been a day for pranks, popularly referred to as inocentadas.

Weedy barley spike Sergio González Ahedo.

Children enjoyed themselves in a variety of ways. A common practical joke consisted in throwing burdock (Arctium minus) burrs, lapatxak, or spikes of weedy barley (Hordeum murinum), ziriak, to classmates during school breaks or after the lessons, so they stayed attached or suspended from their backs. The innocent victim would preferably wear a jumper or other clothing appropriate for that matter.

It was much worse for the lasses to have such mischievous tricks pulled on them by the lads, because the prickly burrs were likely to remain stuck to the hair and detaching them from trendy puff styles was really quite hard.

Hanging a paper cut-out on someone’s back without being notice was another widespread practice. The puppet was hooked up with a pin and efforts were made so it kept in place for as long as possible. Until it was revealed, the recipient of the prank was the laughing stock of all passers-by. In and around Gernika (Bizkaia) the perpetrator usually recited the following phrase at the time of disclosure: Iñuzente potente / txakurren buztena tente (Innocent, haughty / the dog’s tail is upright).

As the boys and girls grew older, the jokes turned sourer. For instance, the knobs of side-by-side doors were tied up with a rope to make their opening difficult. Other options included leaning a container full of water against someone’s door so its content would spill out when opened, or running a piece of string just above the floor and across a poorly lit spot to cause people to stumble.

Young girl with a paper puppet on her back. Akaitze Kamiruaga. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.

Some were even more sophisticated. A gang of loud youth would get together by a shop and throw out a piece of glass onto the floor to have the shopkeeper believe the window had been smashed. When looking out to see, the ‘fool’ discovered it had been no more than a bad prank. Or an arrogant person could be in for quite an unpleasant surprise if presented with what appeared to be a tray of cakes but in truth contained a varied selection of animal droppings!

Although the custom has gradually been lost among adolescents, little harmless jokes continue to be played on family members. Apart from that, the media still join in, reporting on fake news in the newspapers, radio and television. Unaware of the day, those who read or listen to it fall for it and spread the hoax.

In European and Anglo-Saxon countries a similar festivity is held on 1 April.

Segundo Oar-Arteta – Etniker Bizkaia – Etniker Euskalerria Groups

Translated by Jaione Bilbao – Language Department – Labayru Fundazioa