Latest Blog Posts
Basque Handball Player Banned from Competition for Displaying Basque Flag
Some interesting news has been happening in the world of handball this past week.
A Basque handball player, Bixintxo Bilbao, was banned last week from playing internationally for one year. Why? Because he held up the Basque flag on the winner’s podium at the 2018 World Championships of Basque Pelota in Barcelona.
Bilbao and partner Peio Larralde won gold in the pairs category. During the presentation of the medals, Bilbao held up the Basque flag, despite representing France during the competition.
According to some who witnessed the medal ceremony, the ikurrina (Basque flag) brought many cheers from the crowd. But clearly some powerful people at the International Basque Pelota Federation (FIPV), who organized the competition, were less than enthused.
25 Resources for Learning Euskara Online
Can you believe it’s practically March already?
How are your New Year’s Resolutions going?
In case your goal for 2019 was to learn Euskara, the Basque language, I want to share some resources to help with that. If you haven’t gotten too far in your learning so far in 2019, no shame! There’s always time to start once you make the commitment.
In doing research for this post, I’ve come to discover how many online resources there are for learning Basque. People have been telling me for years that there really are no excuses to not learn Basque with the internet at our fingertips, and I’m starting to believe them.
How John Adams Drew Inspiration from the Basque Country in Drafting the U.S. Constitution
Where to Learn About Basque Mythology
It seems a lot of Basque Americans are interested in learning more about Basque mythology. While Catholicism is strongly entrenched in Basque American communities, before the Basque Country was Christianized (around the 16th century) the Basques had a long history of paganism.
The Basques had their own myths and legends involving unique deities and creatures to explain natural phenomena, passed down through an impressive oral tradition. These stories go back to prehistory and provide an interesting look into how pagan Basques saw and explained the world and their connection to nature.
Once you start looking into it, it’s a fascinating subject. So I want to make it a little easier for those of you who are interested to get started in learning about these ancient Basque tales.
Basque Movies to Watch on Netflix
They say a great way to learn a language is to watch movies. Immerse yourself in that language and get the hang of it.
Unfortunately in the United States, there aren’t too many places to immerse yourself in Euskara and even fewer opportunities to see movies in Euskara. But what do most of us have right at home? Netflix.
I looked into what Basque movies are on American Netflix, and it turns out there are quite a few more options than I expected. Only two are actually in Euskara, but there is a decent selection of Basque-themed movies in Spanish as well.
January Products Now Available in the Shop
When I opened the Hella Basque shop in November, my goal was to release new products every month in 2019.
So here we are with our first product drop of 2019!
I’ve got something practical, something cute, and something funny for you this month.
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When I moved away for college, I left behind my Basque American community and felt very disconnected from my Basque identity. An isolation I imagine many in the diaspora may feel at one point or another.
My hope is that Hella Basque can help Basques in the diaspora feel more connected to their heritage, whether or not they have physical ties to a Basque community.
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Keep up with our latest videos on YouTube. New videos go live every Thursday. You won’t want to miss them!
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