Basque ethnography at a glance
Sign hung in the Chapel of Andra Mari de Ibabe (Aramaio) in 1924. It is currently displayed in the lobby of El Portalón restaurant in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Basques have our own vigesimal numbering system. It is also used in other Celtic lan-guages, perhaps as a remnant of a proto-Basque language that was widespread though large areas of Europe.
In 1868, the peseta was introduced as the single currency for the whole of Spain, as the result of the decimal metric system coming into force when the Spanish State joined the Latin Monetary Union. The peseta was equivalent to 4 reales de vellón, which were the most commonly used coins up until then; and the 5-peseta coin, ogerlekoa, (popularly known as duro) was therefore equivalent to 20 reales. (more…)
“Aurresku de honor” dance at Vitoria-Gasteiz festivities (05/08/2018). Emilio Xabier Dueñas.
Down through the centuries, word-of-mouth was the way or method used to pass down what had been learnt from the legacy left by the past; the thread running through the knowledge handed down from generation to generation which has shaped and moulded each element, task, activity or narrative, among other aspects, to the present. It is the cultural heritage of each community.
However, that historical process involved many circumstances that, despite being insurmountable according to the sources (the transmitters), have been part of our continuing to argue that tradition is unchangeable. That is where the main meaning lies of the word that is used to illustrate studies and hypotheses in the socio-cultural world by experts and scholars, along with other terms such as folklore, folkish, revival and derivatives. (more…)
Simeón Hidalgo Valencia
Sometimes, just sometimes, the servant is better off than the master. That happens in the Izagaondoa valley, in Zuazu (Navarra), at the foot of the Izaga peak. But first let me introduce you to the characters so you know about whom we are talking.
The master is an image, of a respectable size, depicting Archangel St. Michael, the quintessential host of an unusually large chapel, with no less than three naves, that is near the top of the Izaga peak, which was earlier known as Higa de Izaga. Several penitential pilgrimages, in other words, rows of pilgrims in tunics and with their heads covered, and carrying a heavy cross on their backs, make their way up there every year. They enter the chapel at the pace of litanies in Latin and then prostrate themselves in joy before St. Michael, protector of all he prevails, or here the Izagaondoa, Unciti and Lónguida valleys. (more…)
It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Gurutzi passed on, leaving a huge gap behind her.
Gurutzi was highly enterprising. She worked tirelessly right up to the end; she spurred us on and was an example to all of us lucky enough to work with her. She was a trailblazer in many areas and, thanks to her persistence, endeavour and work, she managed to carve a niche in a cultural world which was practically closed to women. (more…)
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