Basque ethnography at a glance

Author: Sergio González Ahedo.

Between the end of June and the beginning of July, white spots appear in the Basque mountains, because when the chestnut blossoms, it wears white. Given the importance of chestnut in our culture, this is a very important time of the year. All you have to do is ask those who work with bees. Proof of this is the testimony of Ignacio Abella collected in Galicia: it seems that when the chestnut blossoms, the ram breed the sheep. It is the last blossom before the intense heat of summer, which determines multiple labours of the rural world.

Nowadays, outside the academic world, there is a widespread and automatic connection between culture and different folkloric expressions (such as music, dance, clothing, gastronomy, etc.). Among other things, Basque culture tends to be united with these expressions that are, of course, part of our culture. But is it not also culture what has been mentioned so far? A great part of our culture originates in rural areas, but in fact, we do not fully assimilate agricultural practices as culture. Although these cultural practices derived from agriculture have lost the social function they had in the past, they still weigh heavily on our identity and memory. So why don’t we understand agricultural practices, and everything they contain, as culture?

The knowledge and traditions related to the chestnut tree, beyond being an agricultural practice, contain culture, and have been transmitted from generation to generation. This is due to the importance of this tree in the past, which offered many benefits to society (the most remarkable is food, but it also produces wood, honey, leaf, litter, etc), making it an essential tree. This, moreover, caused a variety of beliefs and traditions to emerge around these practices; so that the chestnut culture arises on the way from the tree to the chestnut roaster. Many times the greatest importance is given to the fruit, the chestnut, but we must not forget that the real value is in the tree itself, the chestnut. Nor can we forget the various practices, beliefs, traditions, legends, tales, and landscapes created by this culture over the last few centuries by interacting with society, which are part of the culture of chestnut.

Source: Labayru Foundation Photographic Archive.

Finally, different examples of oral tradition related to this time of the year will be presented, reflecting the beliefs, practices and knowledge contained in this culture.

1. Santa Katalina garbia, gaztaina urte handia (Clear day of Saint Catherine, year of many chestnuts). If the weather in May is good after this day, it will be a good year of chestnut.
2. San Juan su, San Juan su, gure gaztainak mamitsu eta besteenak azaltsu (Saint John´s fire, Saint John´s fire, our chestnuts may be juicy, and others shelly). Taking into account the magical character of Saint John´s bonfire, a good chestnut year is requested.
3. San Juan berde, San juan berde, batere koskolik gabe, hiru ale, hiru ale (Green Saint John, green Saint John, without shell, three pieces, three pieces). The same meaning as the previous one.
4. Sanpedroetan katu pixa hainbat euri bada, gaztaina izango da (If during Saint Peter it rains like a cat’s pee, there will be chestnuts). If it doesn´t rain o rains a bit in Saint Peter´s day, it will be a great year for chesnut.
5. Madalena bero, hagatara gero (Hot Magdalena´s day, then whacking day). If it is hot at Magdalena´s day, there will be a good harvest of chestnuts.

As chestnut culture has also been important in many parts of the Iberian Peninsula, there are also sayings in Spanish that are examples of this:

1. Relámpagos en san Juan, las castañas las pagarán (Lighting in Saint John, the chestnut will pay). If the weather is bad during Saint John’s Day, the chestnut harvest will be ruined, as it makes flowering difficult.
2. Si el día de san Pedruco llueve, las castañas se pierden (If it rains on Saint Peter´s day, the chestnut are lost). The same meaning as the previous one but related to the day of Saint Peter.
3. Calor en julio, castañas seguro (Hot in July, chestnuts for sure). The blossom and the harvest of chestnut will be fruitful if it is hot in July.

Aintzane Cortajarena – Anthropologist