Basque ethnography at a glance
Jairo Castillo. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
Here is how a good layer —oilo fina, in the words of our informants— behaves: once a pullet becomes a hen, she will lay one egg a day for three days and take a day’s rest; she will then lay an egg a day for the next four days and take another day’s rest; she will then again lay an egg a day for the next five days and take another day’s rest. And so on for three months, after which she inevitably either turns broody (lokatu), moults (mikatu) or dies. (more…)
Luis Manuel Peña. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
The purpose of signalling devices like the lights in the photograph is well known to us all. Those in particular are the first traffic lights in the Valley of Carranza (Bizkaia), where I live, a once eminently rural area. The signals in question are part of the so-called ‘urban furniture’. Street lamps were installed several decades ago, to the delight of bats watching their nightly helping of food flutter to the light. Later came a few pavements, and down in the middle of the Valley, away from the reign of the cows, some ‘zebra crossings’ were painted. (more…)
Under the portico. Orozko (Bizkaia), 1956. Javier Perea. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
Childbearing and childbirth have always been of considerable interest to family and community members, as shown by the remarkable variety of beliefs shared and gathered about newborns.
Many of them were related to pregnancy. According to a most widespread belief, should the craving of a pregnant woman be not fulfilled, her baby would be born with a birthmark, called antojo, literally ‘craving’, similar in shape to whatever she had craved for but could not satisfy. (more…)
St Nicholas’ Day in Segura (Gipuzkoa), 1988. Antxon Aguirre.
Asking for alms is still a popular practice in the winter calendar across the length and breadth of the country, Christmas and Carnival being the main festive cycles celebrated during the season.
Groups of youth march the streets singing traditional songs and collecting alms at both annual festivals. Each occasion features its own repertoire, though themes might sometimes coincide, as verses are addressed to the landlord, the landlady, or other members of the household. (more…)
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