Today is the International Day of the Basque Language. Every year on December 3rd, Euskara is celebrated all around the world.
The date for this holiday was established in 1948 by Eusko Ikaskuntza, the Society for Basque Studies. They chose December 3rd because it’s the feast day of Saint Francis Xavier, co-patron saint of the Basque province of Nafarroa (along with San Fermín).
A very interesting initiative started last Friday in the Basque Country.
While Basques in the U.S. were doing our Black Friday shopping, some Basques in the Basque Country were starting their days with an initiative called Euskaraldia.
Euskaraldia is a project in which people in all 7 provinces in the Basque Country are encouraged to speak more Euskara, the Basque language, over an 11-day period.
Beginning November 23rd and ending on December 3rd, Euskaraldia has seen thousands of participants sign up on their website. People either commit to being an Euskara speaker, Ahobizi, or an Euskara listener, Bellariprest, during these 11 days.
The holidays are fast approaching, and maybe you’re wondering what to get the Basques in your life.
Or maybe you just want some Basque-themed goodies for yourself this year!
I’ve put together a list of all of our most popular products so you can see what others in the Basque community are buying this holiday season.
The holidays are just around the corner and that means a lot of us are thinking about menu planning.
What to serve all of the people coming over for Thanksgiving? What to bring to your holiday potluck?
Or if you’re having a small gathering, what to make that’s different enough from everyday cooking but doesn’t take too much effort?
One year for Thanksgiving, we had a goat leg at the dinner table instead of turkey. We have a small immediate family, and no one was volunteering to cook a turkey for just 5 people.
So Aita thought the holiday would be a great opportunity to serve up that goat leg his friend had just given him.
Yes, my dad has friends that just bring him animal parts — the perks of knowing ranchers.
In the spirit of the holidays, Mom cooked the goat.
Let’s just say that was the first and last time we had goat for Thanksgiving.
While I wouldn’t recommend the goat per se, I’m all about mixing up the traditional American Thanksgiving menu with your own cultural dishes.
So if you want to work a few Basque items into your meal this Thanksgiving, I’ve put together a list of recipes to give you some ideas.
I fell down a rabbit hole on the internet this week.
You know when you search for one thing and then end up spending hours clicking link after related link?
That’s what I’ve been doing with Basque sheepherding videos.
I love learning about my Basque heritage but especially when it comes to Basques in the United States. And for a lot of our family histories, that means tracing our roots back to Basque sheepherders in the West.
