12 Basque culture and heritage - Christmas

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description

Series of presentations about Basque Culture and Language within the "Puzzling Pieces of the European Puzzle" Comenius project (2011-2013) Basque Culture, music & dance, history, origins, art, and so on. "Puzzling Pieces of the European Puzzle" Comenius proiektuaren (2011-2013) barruan egindako aurkezpenak. Euskal kultura, musika, historia eta ezaugarriak tratatzen dituzten aurkezpenak.

Transcript of 12 Basque culture and heritage - Christmas

Page 1: 12 Basque culture and heritage - Christmas
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The most important character at Basque Christmas is a man called Olentzero.

According to mythology, this character is a pagan who lives in the Basque mountains. One day one of his relatives saw a big star in the sky and asked the oldest pagan what it was. He answered it was the birth of Jesus, so he ordered them to jump off the cliff but he did not obey. He went to Bethlehem to visit Jesus and he started spreading the news.

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Nowadays he is represented as a charcoal maker or a shepherd. Little children give Olentzero letters about the presents they want to get. Parents take advantage of the myth and tell their children to behave as if they don`t, they will not get the presents they asked for. On Christmas’ Eve he delivers the presents to all the houses around the Basque Country. Olentzero dresses with a Basque beret, thick denim trousers and a black big shirt. He usually goes with a donkey that carries the presents.

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That day people go from home to home singing Christmas carols, in that way they earn money. In the little towns, people walk around the farthest farms and neighbourhoods with a donkey and some instruments.

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That night an important dinner is celebrated where all the family gathers (grandparents, uncles and aunties, cousins, basically all your relatives). The next

day they also have Christmas lunch together. At Christmas we eat king prawns, cod and hake in sauce, lamb, sirloin or rib. For dessert the most typical food is walnut’s

sauce, roasted chestnuts and almond’s nougat.

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At new year’s eve they make a big dinner again. The tradition is that after dinner, when the clock strikes midnight, a grape is eaten for each bell chiming. Some time ago people used to go to get some water from the

local fountain because they thought it was magic and it cured sicknesses. Nowadays few people continue with this tradition.