Basque ethnography at a glance
![Women fish vendors in Donostia in the mid-nineteenth century. Reproduction of an engraving depicted by Luis de Madariaga in El país vasco-navarro [The Basque-Navarrese country]](https://www.labayru.eus/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/vendedoras-de-pescado-volteada.jpg)
Fish vendors in Donostia in the mid-nineteenth century. Reproduction of an engraving depicted by Luis de Madariaga in El país vasco-navarro [The Basque-Navarrese country].
Rather than seeking to provide a comprehensive account of trades from the past that are disappearing, or that have become practically extinct, here we shall confine ourselves to the city of Gernika-Lumo (Bizkaia), for many of these below would have been likewise known in neighbouring localities and further afield in the country. Some people exercised their skills door to door; others worked in workshops, stores and other premises. (more…)
Wattle shielding. Valley of Carranza (Bizkaia), 2010. Miguel Sabino Díaz.
Bardanasca, and also bardanasco, is the name given to wattle in the Valley of Carranza (Bizkaia). It is an ancient building material for making walls and fences, consisting of rods interlaced with twigs and branches. Documented as early as the Middle Ages and defines in former Ordinances, the use of this construction method was extended across certain areas of the Basque Country. (more…)
Holly branches with berries. José Ignacio García Muñoz.
Traditions observed during the Christmas period from St Thomas’ Day, on 21 December, to Three Kings’ Day, on 6 January, have undergone significant changes in recent years.
In the not too distant past Christmas celebrations were characterized by a warm family environment and a deep religious significance. This last connotation is fading away, as happens with Easter, now more of a spring break. (more…)
Fire in the hearth.
The celebration of solstices dates back to ancient times, and there are good reasons to think some of the practices and beliefs observed in this land might have roots in certain solstice rituals, as might be the case with an old Christmas tradition now almost extinguished and to which this note is devoted to. (more…)
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