What is Basque?
Not many people could point out where the Basque country is located on a map. In fact, Basque is not on a normal world map that you would use today. Basque is a small country located in between Spain and France. It is located near the Bay of Biscay and Pyrenees mountain range. The origin of this ancient culture is unknown. Its language, Euskerra, is one of the oldest and hardest languages to learn. Basque is home to very proud people with a long line of traditions they uphold. From young children, to teenagers, to young adults and elders, the Basque are proud of their history. These outgoing people are some of the warmest and most welcoming families I have ever met. Many people get confused, but they are NOT Spanish. The Basque people have their own unique language, culture and customs that I have been welcomed into.
What are they known for?
The Basque country is split up into seven different regions. In every Basque town you can find three recurring things: a church, a bar, and a pelota court. There are several popular cities that many outsiders are unaware of. A beach city, San Sebastián, is located on the coast, and it's one of my favorites. The largest Basque city, Bilboa is a thriving modern place known for its popular art museum, The Guggenheim. If you want to go to a smaller, traditional, and local city, Bergara is a quaint historical town. Traveling in the country is very easy and cheap. The public transportation system is simple for anyone to use and is very accessible. Just hop on a bus or train to move from city to city. Guernica is a known Basque town in history that went through hardships during World War II. Pablo Picasso's art piece "Guernica," depicted the tragic events that once took place. This city has a whole story of its own that I will be writing about in another post.
The Language
Most Basque people are at least bilingual. In the regions closer to the border of France, French can be spoken. Everyone speaks Spanish, and most speak Euskerra, the official Basque language. The origin of Euskerra is still unknown. It is one of the oldest and most difficult languages in the world to ever exist. During the Spanish civil war, the language was banned for a time, but the Basque people kept it alive in secret. The language is unlike any other. Hello translates to "kaixo," and goodbye is "agur." If you travel to the Basque country and attempt to speak their language, they will be very astonished because most people don't even realize what Basque is. When I went and interacted with the locals, I would always make sure to say thank you, "eskerrik asko." Most of the time the person would then give me a double take followed by a warm and interested smile!
The Food
On a typical Basque night out, one might meet up with close friends, also called cuadrilla, to grab a bite to eat. Pinxo bars are very popular and a great place to stop. Pinxos (like Spanish tapas), can be best described as a variety of appetizers. At these bars, there are small appetizers with seafoods, meats, and bread that you can choose from. To start, just pick up a plate and grab the ones you think look good! One noticeable trait that I noticed on my travels there was that portion sizes were much smaller than what I was used to in
the US. For instance, their largest sizes at McDonalds is our medium sizes (I think we can learn from them)! Their food is less processed, more natural, and I found myself eating less when I was there. Also, their Coca-Cola is to die for! At a restaurant the soda is served in glass bottles, preventing you from drinking too many refills. There is something about their soda (maybe the fact that they use real sugar instead of corn syrup and fake flavors) that make it much better than the US and refreshing after a long day at the beach.
Traditions and Festivities
The country is very proud of the many festivals and parties they put on. The Semana Grande is one of the most famous of them all. It is held in San Sebastián. In August, countries around the world will bring their best fireworks to San Sebastián to hold a competition. For seven days, every night, a different country will light up the sky in a display of fire ---it’s like something you have never seen before. After the fireworks, the children can then participate in a mock “running of the bulls.” Volunteers from the town will put on bull heads that shoot out fireworks and chase the children all through the streets (it's actually quite terrifying). If you participate, make sure you don't get trampled or lost like I did! Another popular and traditional festival is called the Tamborrada, or festival of the drums. You can just tell by the name they give it what it's about. It's held every year on January 20th in San Sebastián and lasts a total of 24 hours. People will dress up as cooks and soldiers and march through the streets banging drums. The drumming does NOT stop for the whole 24 hours. The festival originates in the 1800s when the city San Sebastián held down its military during the Carlist War in Spain. These are just a couple examples of festivals just in one Basque city!
The Basque Country is an inspiring example in history of how a small group of people stayed strong through the persecution and the revolutions around them. They refused to give into change and continued to live out their traditions and customs in the modern day. I think we can all learn something from their way of life and culture. Even though they can't be visually seen on a map, they leave a legacy for the world to learn from. If you want to learn more, take a visit to the wonderful country!
